It may have seemed valiant at the time, but Silver Fern Anna Rowberry's decision to play on with an injury may have cost her a place in this weekend's trial for the world championship team.
Rowberry may be too sore to take part in the one-game trial in Taupo on Saturday
after badly spraining an ankle in last Friday's South-North Star Series final.
New Zealand coach Yvonne Willering said yesterday that physios had advised that Rowberry sit out the trial or risk more damage.
But that does not mean the talented midcourter is out of the reckoning for the national team, who play South Africa next month before the world championships in Christchurch in September.
"At this stage Anna's chances of playing on Saturday are not good," Willering said. "If I really, really had to see her play again she could, but that could knock her progress back.
"I don't want to flog these players to death in a trial. I'm looking to have 12 fit players for the South African tests. If there are any players who have niggling injuries they're better off having two weeks of recovery."
Rowberry hurt her ankle early in the second quarter, but chose to play the rest of the game, which was won by her South team by one goal.
Her Otago team-mate Jo Steed is also under the spotlight with an ankle injury suffered earlier in the Star Series.
She was chosen among the 20 triallists, but will have her range of movement checked before she heads for Taupo. Both women have been named for the Possibles in the night match at the Events Centre. - Suzanne McFadden
