Bailey, 43, to return to court

Former Silver Fern Temepara Bailey is coming out of retirement to play for the Northern Stars in the 2019 ANZ Premiership.

The 43-year-old’s return to action comes after Grace Kara, the Stars’ captain, became pregnant and unavailable.

In a statement, the Stars said they had looked at younger options, but significant injuries to Tori Kolose and Christina Oscar led to Bailey getting the nod.

Bailey initially retired from domestic netball in 2012, a year after she stepped down from the Silver Ferns. She returned for a short stint with the Northern Mystics as an injury replacement in 2014.

Coach Kiri Wills said the decision was a relatively easy one.

‘‘We have a number of young driven players in our team and for us to win, we need to have on-court leadership and experience.

‘‘There is no doubt Temepara will bring these qualities.

‘‘One of Temepara’s great strengths is her capacity to direct players on court and drive on-court team strategy, whilst still doing her job to a very high standard.

‘‘She and Leana [de Bruin] are the players we are looking to lead the on-court performance of our team.

‘‘They both know how and what it takes to win, and you will see the young players in our squad flourish under their leadership.’’

Bailey has been an assistant coach at the Stars for the past two years and will continue in that role while rejoining the playing ranks.

‘‘South Auckland is home for me and I’m looking forward to preseason with the team and getting out on court in the purple colours of the Stars next year,’’ she said in a statement.

The Stars begin their 2019 campaign against the Southern Steel on February 24 in Hamilton.