Folau hints at Games farewell
THERE was a time when everything was new for Maria Folau.
She made her Silver Ferns debut in 2005 as an 18-year-old, and went to her first Commonwealth Games the following year, becoming a regular starter not long after.
Now 30, and the team’s vice captain, she has also been to three World Cups and two more Commonwealth Games, with another, on the Gold Coast, less than two months away.
There’s a real chance this will be her last appearance at the quadrennial event, where she has won two gold medals (in 2006 and 2010) and a silver (in 2014), but she is still as up for it as she was the first time around.
‘‘To be honest I’m really surprised that my body’s lasted this long,’’ Folau said.
‘‘Never ever did I think that I would play one Comm Games, let alone four now. I’m really, really excited – it’s a huge honour and a privilege.’’
Well into the second half of her career, where she has become one of seven Silver Ferns with more than 100 caps, Folau now has extra motivation from the fact that she is running out of opportunities to achieve further success.
‘‘I’m going to play these Games like it’s my last,’’ she said.
‘‘What will be will be, but most of all I’ll just be really grateful for the career that I’ve had. The three Commonwealth Games that I’ve played in have been some of the best moments of my life. Those are memories no-one will ever take from me.’’
As things stand, the Silver Ferns have plenty of work to do if their memories of the Gold Coast are going to turn out to be happy ones.
They have lost their last five matches against the Australian Diamonds, and three of their last five against the England Roses, a poor run of form which has DAVID WHITE/STUFF stoked fears of them failing to make the final at a major world event for the first time since 1995.
The Silver Ferns did win the Quad Series when it was held in Australia and New Zealand last August and September, and they did edge England in the Taini Jamison Trophy shortly afterwards, but since then, they have only won one match in seven, against South Africa last month.
Folau has identified a lack of consistency as the team’s biggest problem, but she is confident they can find some in time for the Commonwealth Games, which begin on April 5.
‘‘We produce some amazing netball and we’ve done it time and GETTY IMAGES
‘ I’m going to play these Games like it’s my last. ’ MARIA FOLAU
time again with the same bunch, it’s not just with past teams,’’ she said.
‘‘This team is amazing, and player for player, we’re all capable of taking on our opponents one on one and dominating them, but the word consistency is definitely lacking in our camp.’’
Between now and the Commonwealth Games, the Silver Ferns will have what Folau described as ‘‘lots of soul searching,’’ ‘‘lots of honest conversations’’ and ‘‘lots of trainings,’’ as they try to find the consistency they need.
They have just eight more matches before their crucial poolplay clash with England, and while all of them are against minnows, they will help a relatively inexperienced team grow.
‘‘That’s another challenge that we have in this group, that the experience isn’t there like it was when I first started,’’ Folau said.
‘‘But knowing the heart that these players have, it’s more than enough, and more than you could ever ask for.’’