Selina Gilsenan hobbled down to breakfast with her Australian team-mates yesterday happy to be walking, but unsure when she would play again in the World Netball Championships.
The Australians were heartened by the news that nothing was broken or seriously torn when their tenacious wing defence went overon an ankle in Tuesday's final pool game against Scotland. Hospital x-rays that night gave Gilsenan the all-clear.
It's unlikely Gilsenan will play in tonight's quarterfinal clash with the Cook Islands, but there's hope she may be fit for tomorrow's semifinals after a couple of days' therapy with the Australian medical specialists.
Leaping high for a ball on the edge of Australia's defensive circle, Gilsenan believes she landed on another player's foot, suffering an inverted twist in the process. That aggravated an old injury, which is good news according to Australia coach Norma Plummer: The injury will pull up okay because the ligaments are already stretched.
Twenty-nine-year-old Gilsenan, of Fijian-Rotuman decent, is no stranger to fighting for her place in the Australian side. Chosen for the Australian squad in 2002, and dropped two years later, she finally made her debut against England in 2005.
She suffered a rib injury soon after but trained her way back to become a regular in Australia's leading seven. She is a fast and relentless wing defence who has earned the nickname The Rash.
Australian captain Liz Ellis said Gilsenan had the toughest work ethic she had ever seen.
If Gilsenan doesn't play, the Australians will reshuffle their defence and most likely play goal defence Moonia Gerrard in her place.
