Cautious approach from Kopua ahead of pre-season tournament
Press Release February 12, 2014
There are promising signs that inspirational Kia Magic captain Casey Kopua will take the court during this weekend’s ANZ Championship pre-season netball tournament in Melbourne.
Playing three-quarters of a game at training yesterday (Tuesday), her first real game time since the Fast5 Netball World Series in November following off-season ankle surgery, Kopua is inching ever-closer to playing a more active on-court role.
``Although my coordination was all over the place, the game yesterday was very good,’’ Kopua said.
``It felt really good and my ankle was absolutely fine. It’s just now about getting the court smarts back on track.’’
Kopua is taking a cautious approach ahead of the Melbourne tournament, dubbed the `Summer Shootout’, with all 10 trans-Tasman teams taking part, and is undecided just how much action she will see.
Under a strict rehabilitation programme, Kopua is mindful of ticking all the boxes correctly ahead of a busy year which includes the Commonwealth Games.
``We’re not sure and at this stage we just take it day by day,’’ she said of the weekend. ``It’s recovered well today and there’s been no issues but I don’t want to say yes and I don’t want to say no.
``But I do feel refreshed and ready to go. Mentally, I’m very motivated at the moment to lead the team and also to get myself in the best condition possible for my team.’’
Losing players to the recent Silver Ferns tour to the UK has resulted in a disrupted build-up for the new-look Magic team and coaching staff of Julie Fitzgerald and Margaret Forsyth.
``We have had a lack of time together but we have made the most of the time that we have had,’’ Kopua said. ``Julie keeps things very intense and it’s all quality which is what we want.
``A lot of our team is very young, fresh and new to the ANZ Championship so it’s just trying to lead the way but also help them along the way at the same time.’’
Kopua is enjoying the challenges of a ``fresh, new and exciting’’ environment which has helped energise her approach for the coming season.
``We’ve got new ball drills and the way that things are done are new, there’s different people so for me too, I’m learning as we go along which shows you can teach an old dog new tricks,’’ she said.
The pre-season tournament has come at the perfect time for Magic, the value of more court time together against top opposition a real bonus.
``Exposure-wise for our newbies this tournament is huge,’’ Kopua said. ``It will be priceless to get them out on court against the other ANZ teams. The score, win or lose, it does matter but it doesn’t because you’ve still got another two weeks of training before the competition starts.
``It will be a test for us and it could be a wake-up call at the same time. It’s just having that balance of exposure plus the court time together and the experience of playing against the other quality sides.
``I don’t think we know what our potential is because our team is so unknown. Nobody knows half of our team and for us it’s just a case of the more time we have together, the better.’’
Magic leave for Melbourne tomorrow (Thursday) and will open the tournament against the NSW Swifts on Saturday morning. They will also meet the Tactix, West Coast Fever, Southern Steel, Queensland Firebirds and Northern Mystics over the two days where matches will consist of two 15-minute halves.
Jane Hunt
Kia Magic media liaison
Ph: 021-107-0287
