ANENDRA SINGH
WHILE no one from Hawke's Bay has made the cut for the Pulse netball franchise head coach Kate Carpenter says don't despair.
"Sometimes it's not always about having a player in a team but looking at growth in the region," Carpenter told SportToday from Wellington.
Hawke's Bay's only trialist among 22 elite players vying for six places early last month, Candis Cardie was told soon after the trial that she had missed out, according to Carpenter [pictured right].
"Candis was notified before Christmas and letters regarding players' inclusion and exclusion were handed out soon after the trials," says the former Singapore national coach.
The Pulse handed out contracts to 12 players on January 8 and are in the process of fine-tuning a few deals with a handful of players. The names of those 12 players will be announced by January 31.
"Players who have eligibility considerations will have to apply for dispensation and that'll be up to Netball New Zealand. The internationals' selection is a little different," says Carpenter. Three players have been invited as "training partners" outside the contracted players to cover in case of injury or illness.
"There's also potential for the three to play and be part of the programme to aid their development."
With Cardie the only trialist from the Bay, Carpenter says it was always going to be "tough going".
With an ANZ Championship game scheduled to be played at Pettigrew-Green Arena, in Taradale, in July, she says the Pulse will be training in Napier early next month.
"Coaches and players in Hawke's Bay will have the opportunity to see them ... we do want a buy-in from the region and are proud to represent them."
The Bay netball fans this season will be in a similar predicament in the transtasman competition as the rugby fans were last season in the Super 14 competition when the Hurricanes' franchise did not have a single Kelt Capital Hawke's Bay Magpies player in their main squad.
Pulse assistant coach Annette Pearce and director of coaching Jill McIntosh, who helped select the team, will conduct coaching development clinics when the players train here next month.
NETBALL - Still plenty of talent despite lack of Pulse selection
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