Captain Casey Kopua could only support from the sidelines following ankle surgery before Christmas. Photo / APN
By the beginning of February, Kia Magic welcomed their Silver Ferns back from England and finally had a full squad at training. All other players had been hard at training both on the court and in the gym for several weeks and it was exciting to finally have our team
together.
Our first real hit out came within a week when we travelled to New Plymouth to meet the Pulse in two trial games. Our captain Casey Kopua could only support from the sidelines following ankle surgery before Christmas. While we didn't record a win, the weekend was invaluable in showing us the areas that most needed work and our performance was creditable for a team where some players had never even met until a few days before.
Following this came two hard weeks on the training court before the Summer Shootout in Melbourne. There is no doubt our first couple of games were disappointing as new combinations failed to gel and some players were introduced to their first experience of the intensity of ANZ Championship netball. However, everyone remained positive and we saw a real turning point in our draw with the Fever after a fighting effort against a team who have recruited well in the off-season. The improvement continued to come throughout the weekend and although this didn't show on the scoreboard, there were some rewards for our endeavours in the targets we set. We welcomed Casey back onto the court for a very short period and we were happy to see her pull up well with no after effects from her first real hit-out.
We have two short weeks before our first game and know we have a lot of ground to cover to raise the standard, but our group are committed and united.
Mixed in with all the training, there have been the other commitments that are now an integral part of professional netball - photo shoots, media and a great day with Kia where the girls were able to test out just how well the Kia cars handle under tough conditions.
