Silver Ferns trials underway

26 of New Zealand’s best netballers have arrived in Auckland ready to put their hand up for a place in the 2016 Silver Ferns Squad.

Missing from the list of triallists is captain Casey Kopua who announced last month she and husband Terry were expecting their first child.

Maria Tutaia returns to the court following extended leave post Netball World Cup SYDNEY 2015. She joins fellow long-standing team-mates Katrina Grant and Laura Langman – the winner of the inaugural Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award.

 

Ellen Halpenny has been elevated from the Reserves list and offered the opportunity to trial for the squad. While Anna Harrison, who will make her return to the ANZ Championship in 2016 with the SKYCITY Mystics, is also in contention following the birth of her second child.

This week’s trials mark the first for new coach Janine Southby – only the tenth person to guide the Silver Ferns.

“What I’d really like to see out of this first camp is players who are putting their hands up and saying ‘pick me we really want to be here’,” Southby said.

“I’m looking forward to what they can bring both on and off the court."

The 2016 Silver Ferns and National Development Squads will be named on Thursday 10 December, 2015.