Netball: Aussie could bolster injury-ridden Ferns

Shooter Ameliaranne Wells landed on the Silver Ferns' radar only last month.

Waimarama Taumaunu admits she is mindful there may be a backlash if Australian-born shooter Ameliaranne Wells is elevated straight into the Silver Ferns later this week.

But the national coach says the selectors can't let public sentiment affect their decision making as they look to settle on a group that has the best chance of wresting the World Cup off Australia next year.

Wells landed on the Silver Ferns' radar only last month, when the former Queensland Firebirds' shooter signed with the Central Pulse for the 2015 season.

The 23-year-old is eligible to represent New Zealand as her father was born here, and with the Ferns' current depth crisis in the shooting circle the national selectors wasted no time in getting the youngster involved in the programme, inviting Wells to take part in this week's national trials in Auckland.

The odds of Wells being included in the team shortened yesterday with the confirmation shooting ace Maria Tutaia has been ruled out of netball for the rest of the year after succumbing to the painful foot injury that hampered her Commonwealth Games campaign. Tutaia's former Mystics teammate Bailey Mes is tipped as her likely replacement in the test line-up to take on Australia next month, while Wells will put pressure on incumbent Ellen Halpenny to retain her spot.

With Cathrine Latu also still battling back from an injury she picked up at the Glasgow tournament, at the very least Wells is expected to be included in the wider Silver Ferns squad with the selectors likely to include an extra shooter as back-up.

"Bringing [Wells] into trials was not done lightly, but we have to grow that area and at the moment, because of the number of imports sitting in those shooting positions, it's not an easy thing to do," said Taumaunu.

"I understand that there could be a reaction [if Wells is selected], but I can't be concerned about that.

"I have to pick what I think is best for this team now and in the long term.

"And with a significant injury to [Tutaia], [Latu] still recovering, and one of our best youngsters [Malia Paseka] injured, it does change the environment quite significantly to what I had expected."

The loss of Tutaia - now the Ferns' most-capped shooter following the retirement of Irene van Dyk - is a major blow to the Kiwi side as they look to bounce back from their dreadful 18-goal loss to Australia in the Commonwealth Games final.

The reviews from the Glasgow tournament highlighted the shooting circle as a key area needing improvement if the Ferns are to make up ground on their transtasman rivals. The upcoming international series loomed as an important opportunity to develop combinations and build links with the attacking end ahead of next year's World Cup in Sydney.

With Tutaia out, the Ferns will be missing a key piece of their attacking puzzle, but Taumaunu said being forced to bring a new player to the mix will help build depth.

"Sometimes when things like this happen you wind up doing things that you otherwise wouldn't choose to do. We have to grow depth in that area, the injuries at Commonwealth Games showed that, and this is going to make us do that," she said.

Given the run of injuries in the shooting circle, team management were forced to call 16-year-old shooter Maia Wilson from the New Zealand Secondary Schools team into camp this week to provide an extra body in the shooting circle at trials.

Tutaia said it was frustrating not being able to take part in any of the Silver Ferns programme for the rest of the year, but she has shifted her focus to next year's World Cup.

"It's something that has been ongoing since Commonwealth Games and I was hoping things would come right for this camp, but it hasn't," said Tutaia.

"It's pretty painful, it's like walking on glass sometimes.

"The only thing that can really fix it is rest, so it is a bit frustrating but I need to look to the long-term and make sure I'm right for next year."