Netball: Four years waiting is over for Latu

Cathrine Latu's eligibility to play for New Zealand has finally been resolved. Photo / Mark McKeown

The wait is almost over for Cathrine Latu.

For the past two years Latu has been attending Silver Ferns camps, helping the team prepare for two pinnacle events knowing she would not be taking part.

There was a brief ray of hope earlier this year when the former Samoan shooter was named in the Ferns' world championship team, pending the outcome of an appeal over her eligibility to the International Court of Arbitration of Sport. But Netball New Zealand's last ditch bid failed and Latu was scratched from the team.

But now Latu's four-year stand down from international netball is complete, there is nothing holding her back from selection but herself.

Despite the Silver Ferns environment being old hat to her now, Latu said the nerves kicked in at this week's camp in Auckland - something she had never previously experienced at national camps - as the reality of Monday's selection loomed.

"The outcome is a little bit different for me now. I'm in the camp, but now I know something might actually come of it, so it's a little bit scary," she said.

"I'll hopefully be happy on Monday, but until then I don't want to get too far ahead of myself because I've felt the disappointment before, so I'll just wait."

But the truth is Latu needn't be nervous.

It wasn't known until recently but Netball NZ had been lobbying for some time to have Latu's eligibility bid fast-tracked. They are so desperate to have 1.89m shooter in the world championship team they went all the way to the world's highest sporting judicial body to fight a ruling from the International Federation of Netball Associations.

But even if she wasn't considered central to the Ferns' future shooting plans, a sheer lack of numbers means Latu's selection is assured.

With four of the 16-woman squad injured, and young midcourter Camilla Lees unavailable for the five end of year tests due to study commitments, the remaining squad members are guaranteed to be named on Monday.

The inclusion of Latu in the shooting end means Canterbury shooter Anna Thompson will likely slide across to wing attack to cover the shortfall in the midcourt left by the retirement of Temepara George.

But the selectors will need to look outside the squad to fill the void in the defensive end left by injuries to captain Casey Williams and Katrina Grant.

Young Mystics star Kayla Cullen, who was last month named in the Ferns wider squad, is likely to earn automatic promotion into the test line-up. The other spot is likely to go to either former Southern Steel defender, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, who will join the Pulse next year, or Magic rookie Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick.

Selby-Rickit has the most experience, including four seasons of ANZ Championship netball, the past two partnering veteran Silver Fern Leana de Bruin in defence.

But the selectors are said to be impressed with the recent application of Tone-Fitzpatrick, who has clearly put in a lot of time in the gym in the off-season, trimming down notably.

The 19-year-old also has the all-important height factor - 1.88m versus Selby-Rickit's 1.84m.

If Tone-Fitzpatrick gets a call-up, it could be the death-knell to Auckland Waitakere's NPC campaign. Auckland coach Te Aroha Keenan is already resigned to losing Latu and Cullen from her squad, but losing a third key player will be difficult to recover from.

Likely Silver Ferns

Laura Langman (c), Kayla Cullen, Leana de Bruin, Paula Griffin, Joline Henry, Cathrine Latu, Liana Leota, Anna Scarlett, Anna Thompson, Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick, Maria Tutaia, Irene van Dyk.