Ball and Kepa catch eye of NZ selectors
Te Awamutu’s Liza Ball was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools ( NZSS) netball team that engaged in training and match-play action on the North Shore over the Labour Day weekend.
The 2022 NZSS team and an NZSS A Selection team were named after trials were held on Friday; Liza and her Hamilton Girls’ High School teammate Kaiya Kepa (captain) were selected for the top side.
The selection of the two teams was based on Coach and Emerging Talent Panel selector observations/rankings from NDC, Under 18, Regional Secondary Schools tournaments and the recently-held NZSS champs.
The nominated players attended Friday’s trial matches, from which the two teams were selected before they spent three days gaining valuable training experience, as well as extensive match-play opportunities.
In a special touch, Silver Fern Peta Toeava was on hand to have a chat with the girls while presenting their playing kits.
Te Aroha Keenan ( head coach) and Pelesa Semu (assistant coach) led the camp, finally having an NZSS team to work with after two Covidimpacted years.
Jo Morrison and Michelle Parsons oversaw the NZSS A Selection team, while the other two teams that played in the invitational quad were the Aotearoa Māori and Pacific Challenge netball teams.