Farewell to the Ferns: Kopua puts family first
If you choose to make a family, you’ve got to be a family.
That’s why Casey Kopua has decided to retire from the Silver Ferns, after an illustrious career, where she played 101 tests, 77 of them as captain.
Kopua had a daughter, Maia, last May, and it was her arrival that led to Friday’s announcement, which comes with a Commonwealth Games 12 months away, and a World Cup a year after that - a tournament where Kopua has won three silver medals, but no gold.
The 31-year-old said the lure of those major events was always there as she made her decision, but in the end, her family won out.
‘‘There was an opportunity there, where I could go to the world champs, and I could possibly win gold, and that seemed all good in theory.
‘‘But the whole reason we started a family was to be a family, and I didn’t think it would be fair on myself, or Maia, or Terry [Kopua’s husband], to carry on.’’
In the buildup to the ANZ Premiership, which began last weekend, Kopua had talked about getting through the domestic season first, then worrying about the Ferns, but yesterday she confirmed she had been considering retiring for a while.
She said she was glad to have the weight off her shoulders, so that she could concentrate fully on the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic’s campaign, which has started with a bang.
‘‘It’s something I’ve been think- ing about for a while,’’ said Kopua.
‘‘It just felt like, for me to play the netball I want to, I needed to make the decision before the season started. I’m playing until June, and I can just give 100 per cent to that.’’
Kopua was first called up to a Silver Ferns squad as a teenager in 2004, but didn’t debut until the end of 2005, the same year she was a member of a world-title winning under-21 side.
That came against Barbados under coach Ruth Aitken when she was 20, and she has gone on to play at three World Cups and three Commonwealth Games, winning gold medals at the latter in Melbourne in 2006 and in Delhi in 2010.
Kopua’s last appearances for the Ferns came under Wai Taumaunu against Australia at the end of 2015, with her final match a win on their territory, which, even if she didn’t know it at the time, makes for a fitting finale.
Kopua said she has had a couple of conversations with new coach Janine Southby, but that there had been no pressure on her to make a decision, either way.
Under Southby, Central Pulse defender Katrina Grant has taken over the captaincy, a move which Kopua has praised, and which she endorsed again yesterday, calling her ‘‘a great leader’’.
‘‘Obviously it’s not all a box of fluffies when you are a captain. There are things that you learn all the time, and she’ll only grow the more that she does it and she’ll lead by example out on court.’’
And as the Ferns approach those two major events, Kopua believes they have nothing to lose.
‘‘Obviously we know the Aussies are world champs, and they’re the No 1s, and that’s who you want to beat. The bunch of girls, I’m hoping they are wanting to do anything and everything they can to make that happen.
While having Maia, Kopua took a year off from playing, but this year she has returned to the court for the Magic, and played a key role as they notched back-to-back wins in Hamilton last weekend.
She debuted for the team as a schoolgirl in 2003, when they played in the National Bank Cup, and in 2015, signed with them for life, whether as a player, or in some other role – she was a coach last year while not playing.
As for whether she continues past the end of this season, Kopua said she would take it ‘‘one season at a time’’.