Netball: Katrina Rore departing Central Pulse

Katrina Rore celebrates after winning the ANZ Premiership Grand Final. Photosport

Central Pulse stalwart Katrina Rore will be absent from the netball franchise for next year's ANZ Premiership season.

The 137-test defender missed this year's competition to give birth to her first child, LilyBud Maria Rore, in May.

Pulse boss Fran Scholey told Newstalk ZB Rore and her partner have purchased land outside the Pulse region.

"For her, any decision in and around the ANZ Premiership will be for the best of her and what's required if she is to come back," Scholey said.

"I've already had a conversation with [Rore] and she isn't returning to the Central Pulse for next year."

Scholey indicated Rore, and her husband Joel, are moving out of the Wellington region.

"This year was always going to be her last year essentially with the Pulse, because she and Joel have purchased land outside our area ... she now also has her new baby".

Newstalk ZB understands the land is in Rotorua, which is in zone for the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic.

34-year-old Rore is one of the Pulse's greatest servants, spending the bulk of her 17-year career at the Wellington-based franchise since she first arrived in 2010, amassing more than 150 appearances culminating in back-to-back ANZ Premiership titles in 2019 and 2020.

In her most recent season of 2020, Rore became just the third New Zealand netballer to play 200 national league matches, following Leana de Bruin and Laura Langman.

Meanwhile, Scholey said the franchise is working through options for 2022 with Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio, who's currently pregnant with her second child.

At the start of the year, Ekenasio revealed she was taking a break from netball due to fatigue, before announcing in May she was pregnant with her second child so would miss the 2021 ANZ Premiership season.

Scholey said the franchise is working through what Ekenasio's return to play programme looks like, and how the Pulse can aid her in getting back into the Silver Ferns if that's what she is wanting.

"[Ekenasio] also has to make her own decisions in and around how she wants to return to the programme, and whether we [the Pulse] are part of that.

"We've seen that with Phoenix Karaka in Auckland, she has only just come back into the Mystics in the last two or three weeks of the competition. So with each player we would like them to assess their own ability in getting back".

Scholey said players returning from time out is all the more important next year, with a shortened, more congested ANZ Premiership season on the horizon.

"2022 is a really short, sharp season over just 12 weeks, with many double headers, so we have to be mindful of player load and what that looks like, and we never want to put pressure on anyone - whether returning from a pregnancy or injury - so they have the right return to play programme," Scholey said.