Langman turns down chance for Ferns SOS
Laura Langman won’t save the Silver Ferns at the Commonwealth Games.
Stuff can confirm the midcourt great, who is taking an indefinite break from the sport in 2018, has made herself unavailable for the April event on the Gold Coast. She won’t be named in the Silver Ferns’ 12-player squad next Thursday for the Games.
Netball New Zealand (NNZ) and Langman had been in talks about a potential return to the national side, but she will continue to sit out.
The 31-year-old is understood to be relishing her time away from the game with netball having dominated much of her life for the past decade.
She is on holiday in Canada and posted photos and video of her snowboarding at Big White Mountain in British Columbia this week.
Langman, the second most capped Fern in history with 141 tests, hasn’t worn the black dress since October 2016 after she signed to play in Australia for the Sunshine Coast Lightning for 2017. Regulations set by NNZ’s board stipulate players must compete for a Kiwi domestic franchise to be eligible for the Silver Ferns.
She was set to return for another season with the defending champion Lightning, but terminated her 2018 contract in November to step away from the sport and focus on travel, work and family life in the Waikato.
Sources have told Stuff Langman is yet to make a decision on her long-term future, but there is no guarantee she will play international netball again. Next year’s World Cup in Liverpool, England, may hold appeal for a comeback with Langman never previously having won the title.
A World Cup winner’s medal is one of the few accolades missing in her illustrious career, having captured two Commonwealth Games golds, a transTasman title with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in 2012, and an Australian Super Netball championship with the Lightning last year.
Langman’s unavailability is another setback for the struggling Silver Ferns less than 10 weeks out from the tournament. They were routed by 19 goals (67-48) on Monday (NZT) by Australia in their final Quad Series match in Johannesburg, South Africa.
New Zealand’s lethargic performance drew the ire of former Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering and veteran coach Robyn Broughton, who questioned the culture in the side and said they looked disjointed as a unit on court.
The Silver Ferns also stuttered to an unconvincing 51-46 win over South Africa and blew a six-goal lead with 10 minutes left to eventually lose to England in extra time in their opening match of the Quad Series.
Those poor showings followed on from a 4-0 Constellation Cup clean sweep by Australia in October.
New Zealand’s midcourt contingent for the Commonwealth Games will likely be Grace Kara (nee Rasmussen), Shannon Francois, Sam Sinclair and Kayla Cullen.