Ferns rookies on fast track
WELLINGTON: Coach Janine Southby will waste no time in fasttracking her new caps into action when the Silver Ferns begin a busy international season later this month.
Southby has named two rookies in the New Zealand team which will play South Africa, England and Australia in September and October.
Promising Central Pulse midcourter Whitney Souness and Magic shooter Monica Falkner are the new faces in a 16strong squad which has a fresh look about it.
Souness will plug the gap left by midcourt lynchpin Laura Langman, unavailable after committing to another year with Sunshine Coast Lightning in Australian Super Netball.
Falkner (20) was part of the New Zealand under21 team which beat Australia last month to win the
World Youth
Cup in Botswana.
The Silver
Ferns have lost more than
400 caps worth of experience recently as the result of the retirements of defenders
Casey Kopua,
Leana de Bruin and Anna Harrison, alongside Langman’s continuing unavailability.
Southby admits there is a bit of ground to make up, but she is confident the players she has named will step up.
‘‘The big thing for us is to make sure they get experience as quickly as possible and that they build an understanding of what it takes to win on the world stage,’’ she said.
‘‘The young ones bring in that real energy — they just want to get out there and do it.
‘‘For us, it’s going to be just building as much experience and confidence into them as we possibly can in the coming months.’’
Souness will make her debut in the Quad Series, which begins in Brisbane on August 26 against South Africa, and is followed by games against England in Auckland on August 30 and Australia in Invercargill on September 3.
Falkner will take the court in the threetest series against England beginning on September 7 in Wellington.
Tactix defender Temalisi Fakahokotau makes her return after a twoyear absence following her debut in 2014. — NZN