Sevens: Netballer turns eye to sevens Olympics bid

Portia Woodman. Photo / Getty Images

The original plan was to be a Silver Fern and Portia Woodman may renew that ambition once she's put all her energy into making the Olympics in Rio next year.

An advertisement on Facebook and encouragement from Mystics netball colleague Kayla McAlister found the pair heading to a sevens rugby audition three years ago.

It was a rapid conversion. Coach Sean Horan was impressed with the pair's athletic prowess and their journey to national honours in another code began when they were picked to play in a tournament in Fiji.

"Then I had to work out whether I wanted to stay with netball and trial with the Mystics and I wasn't sure if I would make it so I decided to give rugby a crack because I really loved the feel of it," Woodman said.

"I just love the game, the open spaces, the speed, the contact, even the tackle part."

After a rapid rise to work with the sevens and a test debut on the wing against England, Woodman had to write off last season after badly tearing her ankle ligaments in May. She was still in a moon boot when the Black Ferns left for the World Cup.

On Monday she is back in business though, with the sevens side heading for Brazil ahead of tournaments in Atlanta, Canada, England and Amsterdam in late May in their bid to qualify for next year's Olympics.

The ribs Woodman hurt in her last sevens tournament in November have healed, her fitness is strong and she can once again express some of the specialist wing pedigree she inherited from her All Black father Kawhena and uncle Fred.

"I think having the power and speed I can appreciate the contact area more because, once you get used to it, it becomes easier," she said. "It's turned from, 'ooh, don't get hurt' to, 'I can't wait to have a crack'."

Her defence was improving but she had to always remind herself to stop grabbing and hit with her shoulder and use the sideline to round up her rivals.

Her build and natural strength helps and all that is supplemented by several exhausting daily workouts on agility, strength, speed and endurance.

"Some days when you finish you are so exhausted it seems hard to tie your hair up or barely drive the car home but when you recover, have a swim or have some food you feel great."

In games, coach Horan urges his strike weapon to run as fast as she can and to stay strong in the contact area.

A wage rise helps Woodman train full-time, mixed in with some coaching work in the Bay of Plenty. She rates Australia and Canada as serious rivals with US and probably England also in the hunt for Olympic places.