Souness in dreamland after Ferns selection
She may have had to wait a year longer than she could have liked, but that’s just made Whitney Souness’ selection to the Silver Ferns all the more sweeter.
The 21-year-old midcourter from Porirua was one of two uncapped players named in the Silver Ferns squad yesterday alongside shooter Monica Falkner.
There’s never been any denying Souness’ talent, but her career came to a grinding halt in October 2015 when she ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. It forced her to miss all of last season for the Pulse as went through a painful and long recovery process.
However, get through it she did and her perseverance has been rewarded with a callup to the national team and during that time away she never gave up on her lifelong ambition.
‘‘It was something that was there. Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to be a Silver Fern,’’ Souness said.
‘‘But when I got injured all I wanted to focus on was getting better and coming back stronger than I was before.
‘‘Focusing on my rehab and playing a strong franchise season this year . . . that was what I focused on and then anything could happen after that, but I couldn’t control it.’’
Silver Ferns coach Janine Southby said she’d long been an admirer of Souness and was delighted at being able to have her as one of the 16 players called up.
‘‘We watched Whitney at the back end of last year,’’ Southby said. ‘‘We knew she was coming back in with the Beko [the development league] and then what she did this year with the Pulse.
‘‘We’ve always known she’s an exciting player to watch. She’s got great vision and speed and she can cover a couple of positions across the midcourt which is fantastic for us.
‘‘I’ve been watching her in the wings for a number of years and it’s great to have her in the mix.’’
Souness is one of the 12 players in the squad for the Quad Series later in the month, but will sit out the Taini Jamison Trophy.
Southby said she found out on Sunday that she’d successfully come through last week’s trial camp to make the Silver Ferns, but had an anxious time waiting for
the news. ‘‘I got a phone call from Janine,’’ she said.
‘‘It was at lunchtime and I wasn’t expecting a call, because she said she’d call later in the day, so I was wondering why she called so early.’’
There was that heart in the mouth moment from Souness when she answered Southby’s call, with her mind racing on which way the conversation would go.
‘‘First it was ‘Hi how are you? How’s your day been?’’’ Souness said.
‘‘And I was like ‘‘Did I get in or not?’’
‘‘I didn’t know what to expect, my emotions were everywhere,’’ Souness said.