New Fern is brought to
Michaela Sokolich-Beatson ready for step up for ‘great team with so much to offer’
Michaela SokolichBeatson prepared for a regular day. Training to be a teacher, she was set to observe a Year 11 class. But midway through the lesson, her phone rang. Silver Ferns coach Janine Southby was calling to tell her she had made the team for the Commonwealth Games.
The 21-year-old was the sole uncapped player in the squad, announced yesterday, and was caught off-guard by the news.
“It was more me crying and saying ‘are you sure?’,” she told Radio Sport of her call with Southby. “It’s all still sinking in. It doesn’t really feel real yet.”
The Northern Mystics defender was joined by 12-test shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio as the new faces in the squad, which was shaken up after a disappointing Quad Series campaign.
“They’re a great team and they’ve got so much to offer,” Sokolich-Beatson said, “I know they’ll offer it at the Comm Games.
“We have ups and downs — that’s just life.”
While 14 players were taken to the Quad Series, only a 12-person squad could be named for the Commonwealth Games. As a result, Phoenix Karaka, Whitney Souness, Jane Watson and Maia Wilson missed out on selection. The team’s immediate focus will be three training camps in the build-up to the series against Jamaica, Malawi and Fiji for the Taini Jamison Trophy in Auckland from March 21-24. Although excited to get to work with the national team, Sokolich- Beatson wasn’t disillusioned about what her likely role in the squad would be initially.
“Starting seven is not really in my thoughts yet because I’ve just been named.
“Just to be in this environment and to learn is my focus for now,” she said of her elevation.
“I try not to overthink when I go out there. I just like to go out there and pour my heart out onto that court and give it my all, really. Just go for every ball I can and add something hopefully.
“I do feel ready. I’ve come off a bit