It might as well have been a Halloween trick or treat for Waipukurau netballer Jodi Tod last night.
The Canterbury Flames teammate of Vilimaina Davu was shocked to hear that the Fiji-born Silver Fern was calling it a day at international level and moving to play under Yvonne Willering's Force from
next season.
"That came as a shock, I just didn't see it coming," Flames defender Tod told SportToday this morning from Waipukurau, where she's catching up with family and friends before jetting off to play for Team Northumbria, in England, next week for half a season.
"When I think of Vili I remember her telling us to 'give it all your best'. She never gave a half-pie effort and she took it really hard when we lost," said Tod, 25, who in September was rooming with Davu at the Scottwood National Championships in Auckland.
"She was always on the ball and kept you on your toes but the best thing about Vili was that she was always up for a laugh. When it came to game time it was a very different Vili," she said of Davu, who only last week conducted a clinic with a group of Silver Ferns at the Centennial Hall, in Napier, as part of the "Silver Ferns Shine on Tour" following the cancellation of the New Zealand team's tour to England.
"You know, when we played for Canterbury we always used to say 'Thank goodness Vili's on our side' after she'd give our shooters a good workout but now it'll be interesting to have her as opposition. I suppose we know all her tricks," Tod said with a laugh, wishing Davu all the best at her new club.
