Defender racing clock to get back in cup contention
Temalisi Fakahokotau is keeping hope alive of a shock return in time for the Netball World Cup.
Fakahokotau’s dream looked in tatters after she ruptured the ACL in her knee in November, but a steady recovery could have the tenacious goal keep back in time for the final rounds of the ANZ Premiership, potentially giving her a last-gasp chance to prove her fitness ahead of July’s World Cup.
Mainland Tactix coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek revealed she’s hoping to have the star defender back for the final few domestic rounds, to give her a chance to impress the Silver Ferns selectors.
“She’s not going to be one of those ones who comes back from injury and holds back — that’s for sure. It will be completely the opposite, that’s just the sort of character she is,” said Delaney-Hoshek.
“We can’t expect her to be a superwoman in her first couple of outings, but even her voice at the back, it lifts the whole team, so hopefully that all pans out.”
Fakahokotau is being more cautious, but has been pleased with her progress.
“Everything’s going good, I’m back running and doing a bit of change of direction. We had a plan in place and I’ve been ticking the boxes for each stage that I’m at.
“Everything’s going to plan but I still need to do everything else in the background to get to where I need to be. I’ve still got to tick the boxes, and it all depends on how my knee goes — there’s no set date on when I’ll be returning,” she told Radio Sport.
The 24-year-old was one of the few players to come out of the disastrous Commonwealth Games campaign with her reputation enhanced, and led the ANZ Premiership in intercepts, deflections and rebounding in 2018.
At her best, she would be the surefire starting goal keep at the World Cup, but despite her desire to make the cup squad, she doesn’t want to rush her comeback.
“It’s been tough — I’m itching to get on court but I know that I can’t.
“It’s massive if I do get out there, to showcase what I have to offer the Silver Ferns, but first and foremost I want to get my knee right, I don’t want to come into it too early and have something else happen to it.
“Obviously I’d love to be part of the World Cup team, but I don’t want to be pushing my knee if it’s not ready to be played on. It would be 10 times worse if I came back too early and something else happens to it. It would be back to square one again where I don’t want to be.”
Next up for Fakahokotau is getting back into contact training, and she admits if she can’t return in time for the end of the Tactix season, it would be a big call for the Ferns to pick her for the World Cup.
“I think it’s a tough one — but that’s a call for them to make. If they think I’m more than capable of coming back from injury and putting in a great performance for the Ferns, then I will take that and run with it.
“But, if they think they have other options who they think are more fit than I, then that decision’s in their hands. I can only do what I can do, and that’s working my butt off — day in, day out.”