Silver Ferns captain takes break
Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio will miss January’s Netball Nations Cup in England.
The 32-year-old has requested to sit out the start of the Ferns’ 2024 international campaign which begins when they take on hosts England, Australia, and Uganda in Leeds and London from January 21-29.
Ekenasio, who has 70 test caps, captained the Silver Ferns at this year’s Netball World Cup in South Africa, and also guided the team to the Taini Jamison Trophy win over England, and a narrow Constellation Cup series defeat (on goal difference) to Australia in October.
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua said player welfare remained at the forefront of management’s planning and backed Ekenasio in her request for some time away from the game.
Ekenasio made her Silver Ferns debut in 2014 against Australia and has gone on to become an influential attacker in the Ferns’ game. She was a key member in the 2019 Netball World Cup win in England and was first named captain in 2020 ahead of the Nations Cup.
She is set to play for the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in the 2024 ANZ Premiership – her third season with the team after joining from the Central Pulse.
Ekenasio said it was a tough decision to take a break, but it was important to have some time away to rest her body after what had been a huge year of netball.
A three-day Silver Ferns trial begins in Auckland on Sunday with the team for the Nations Cup to be announced next Thursday. A Silver Ferns touring captain will be named at a later date.
The Nations Cup will be played over two weekends with the first matches to be played in London from January 21-22 before moving to Leeds over January 28-29.