Kayla Cullen has been brought in to replace injured Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua, who could be out for four to six months after injuring her knee. Photo / Getty Images
Kayla Cullen has been brought in to replace injured Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua, who could be out for four to six months after injuring her knee. Photo / Getty Images
Silver Ferns skipper Casey Kopua will return to New Zealand with her teammates today as she awaits an official diagnosis on her badly injured knee.
Kopua's record breaking 63rd test as captain ended disastrously in Sydney last night, with the star defender crashing down in a screaming heap clutching herknee early in the fourth quarter of her side's 47-34 loss to Australia.
The initial medical assessment from the team was that Kopua had dislocated her knee-cap and possibly torn her patellar tendon. She will have scans in Auckland tomorrow to investigate the extent of the structural damage, with an official confirmation expected tomorrow afternoon.
If the scans confirm the intial assessment, Kopua will likely be ruled out for four to six months.
It is already certain Kopua will miss Wednesday's final match of the Constellation Cup series, which the Australians lead 3-0, and the two tests against the touring England side later this month.
The Mystics' Kayla Cullen has taken Kopua's place in the squad. While Cullen has previous experience against Australia, she has only just returned to contested training a month ago after being sidelined over a year following a knee reconstruction.
