Five Silver Ferns of the future
With the 2020 ANZ Premiership in serious doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brendon Egan picks five uncapped Silver Ferns, who could be wearing the black dress during the new World Cup cycle.
Grace Nweke (Mystics) Goal shoot
It seems a matter of when, not if, the rising star of New Zealand netball will graduate onto the Silver Ferns. Given Maia Wilson’s outstanding play at goal shoot in January’s Nations Cup tournament in England, there’s no need to rush Nweke into the Ferns. Having only turned 18 in February, the 1.93m Nweke has the netball world at her young feet. Nweke and Wilson will likely battle it out for the Ferns’ starting goal shoot bib over the next four years, which is incredibly healthy for New Zealand netball. In the Mystics’ season opener, prior to the
premiership’s postponement, Nweke picked up where she left off last season, landing 40/43 in the win over the Stars – including 19 goals in the first quarter.
Tayla Earle (Mystics) Midcourt
Another teen starlet, 19-yearold Tayla Earle might just one day be Silver Ferns legend Laura Langman’s eventual long-term replacement in the centre bib. Capable of playing all three midcourt positions, Earle is
highly rated in New Zealand netball circles and was named New Zealand secondary schools player of the year in 2018. In her short time in the ANZ Premiership, she has already demonstrated a strong feeding connection with goal shoot Nweke, a link that could carry over to the Ferns in the future. Earle won’t have it easy with Kimiora Poi looking like a key part of the Ferns squad in the coming years. Sam Winders (nee Sinclair) will also be desperate for a recall, while incumbents
Langman and Shannon Saunders have indicated they’re keen to remain involved with the national squad.
Maddy Gordon (Pulse) Wing attack
With Ferns wing attack Whitney Souness moving to the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, Gordon, who is just 20, has a chance for major minutes in the Pulse WA bib in the future. Gordon is a long way from the finished article, but has the natural ability, vision, and fitness to be a staple of the Ferns midcourt for much of the next decade and beyond. Working alongside Ferns captain and Pulse goal attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio and experienced midcourter Claire Kersten, Gordon’s game should only continue to go from strength to strength. It wouldn’t come as a shock if Gordon’s name was in the Ferns 12 for the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
Monica Falkner (Magic) Goal attack
The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic shooter is sidelined with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, sustained in July, but when she eventually gets back on court, should make an immediate difference. Falkner, 23, has been on the fringes of the Silver Ferns squad, without yet gaining a test cap, but has shown moments of brilliance since making her Magic debut in 2017. There is an opportunity at goal attack in the Ferns behind established starter Ekenasio with veterans Bailey Mes and Te Paea Selby-Rickit next in the queue. If Falkner can regain top form, following her injury, she will be in serious contention for a spot in New Zealand’s shooting contingent in the next few years. Kate Heffernan (Steel) Wing defence
When Steel legend and longtime skipper Wendy Frew hung up her bib after the 2018 premiership title win, some might have wondered how they would replace her. They shouldn’t have. Heffernan has filled her absence with relative ease and is a player with an incredibly bright future in front of her. The Tapanui product always seems to stamp her mark on the game, whether it be with intercepts, defensive pickups, or her calmness bringing the ball through court. The 20-year-old played two T20s for the White Ferns in 2018 (as a left-arm seamer) and is well on the way to earning New Zealand honours in a second sport. Should she do that she’d be following in the footsteps of mother Annette Heffernan, who played nine tests for the Ferns as a defender between 1985-1990.