Former shooter Elle Temu elevates to defensive star
No sooner had Elle Temu been publicly confirmed in the Silver Ferns for the first time, her phone pinged with a message from a familiar face.
Defender Temu is poised to become Silver Fern No 183 should this week’s revised two-match series against Jamaica in Auckland go ahead as expected, and she gets on court. Passport dramas with the Jamaican side delayed the start of the series and saw the first two games in Hamilton this weekend canned.
The 24-year-old has been knocking on the Ferns selection door after back-to-back impressive seasons with the Northern Stars in the ANZ Premiership.
It has been a memorable few months for Temu, who was unveiled in the national squad for the first time in August. She also went to the Commonwealth Games as a travelling reserve – getting a taste of the international environment.
Selected in the 12-player squad to face Jamaica, the first person to text Temu bright and early in the morning was netball legend and her former Stars defensive partner Anna Harrison.
‘‘Scar [Harrison] was first to message me in the morning. [The announcement] came out really early and she was texting me, so it was awesome.
‘‘She was like, ‘I’m so proud of you and can’t wait to watch you’, so it was just a nice short and sweet message and it was just cool to know she’s supporting me from afar.’’
Harrison, who played 88 tests for the Ferns, formed a menacing defensive combination at the Stars with Temu over the last two seasons. Temu will be the leader in the Stars defensive unit next year with Harrison retiring in July.
Temu was touched by Harrison’s words and said she had been a huge influence.
‘‘She’s always just been an awesome person, not just on court, but off court. She’s always willing to help and support me. It’s a bit surreal as well that Anna Harrison is texting me back, but it’s awesome. It’s something I’ll treasure our relationship over the past few years.’’
Temu’s rise is some story when you consider she’s only been playing in the defensive circle for seven years.
The Aucklander was a shooter in her early years at secondary school netball powerhouse Mt
Albert Grammar School (MAGS).
Former Silver Ferns shooter Te Aroha Keenan, then premier coach at MAGS, was responsible for Temu’s positional switch. With future Silver Ferns shooter Maia Wilson and former Magic shooter Chiara Semple in the shooting circle, Temu, who is 1.87m tall, was tried in the defensive end.
‘‘I actually saw [Keenan] the other day and she said, I saw your footwork and knew you would be good in the defending circle, so I just wanted to give it a go and then you got ball, so I thought you were fine.
‘‘I didn’t really like shooting to be fair. The pressure of the shot was quite daunting for me, so I don’t know how far I would have made it.’’
Few elite netballers in New Zealand have improved as much as Temu over the past two seasons.
After battling for court time at the Central Pulse behind Ferns Katrina Rore, Karin Burger, and Kelly Jury in 2019-20, Temu sounded out Stars coach Kiri Wills about a possible move back to Auckland.
Temu had a breakout first season with the Stars last year and backed up her strong play in 2022, helping the team to the final where they lost to the Pulse.
She was the form goal defence in the premiership this season – finishing second in the competition for intercepts (42) and deflections (78) – behind only Jury.
‘‘She went from strength-tostrength and got more consistent as we went through. She had a great partnership with ‘Scar’ and they worked very well together,’’ Wills said.
‘‘The beauty of Elle is she used to be a shooter at school, so she knows and understands where shooters want the ball and want space, so she can anticipate things slightly quicker than some of the other defenders can.’’
Having been a defender for just seven years, Wills believed there was still plenty of room for growth with Temu. Her height, mobility, and ability to react quickly to what was happening in front of her were strengths.
‘‘She’s got beautiful hands, so she can actually pull in ball that looks hard to get. She’s very good at tipping and then running onto the ball.’’
Temu had sometimes struggled with her strength and conditioning, but had made heartening progress over the last year. Should Temu get an opportunity against Jamaica she was desperate to make the most of any court-time. Defenders Jane Watson (new mother) and Burger (foot fracture) will both return to the Ferns next year, only adding to the competition for 2023 Netball World Cup spots.
A potential debut at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium on Wednesday with parents Rachael and Jason, and her three sisters, Casey, Brooklyn and Summer (a shooter in MAGS premier team) in the crowd would be the stuff of dreams for Temu.
‘‘Even thinking about singing the national anthem in the dress is special in itself. I am a bit of a sook, so there may be a few tears.’’