The world’s top two netballing nations have this week started their build ups to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. New Zealand’s Silver Ferns have travelled to Brisbane, Australia for a ten day training camp during which coach Ruth Aitken will help them to acclimatise to the heat and humidity that they will experience in India. The players will take part in four sessions a day, working with a range of sports science experts from the New Zealand Academy of Sport, including strength and conditioning trainers, physiologists and power specialists.
Reigning world champions, the Australian Diamonds have announced that they will be without five players for their upcoming tour of England and Australia next month. Captain Sharelle McMahon, Julie Corletto and Susan Furhmann are all recovering from knee surgery, while shooter Catherine Cox had a foot ligament removed last week and midcourter Lauren Norse has work commitments. Coach Norma Plummer has announced that the full squad will attend a selection camp in Canberra from 27 January, before the selected players depart for the UK on 8 February. Two changes have been made to Australia’s national selection panel, with former Australian captain Anne Sargent and Nicole Cusack replacing Carole Sykes and Sue Kenny to select the Commonwealth Games team.
Fiji’s selectors have named 41 players in a national training squad to prepare for the Pacific Series in June. Centre courter 14 year old Leba Korovou is the youngest player ever named in Fiji’s national squad, and will join the other players at final trials scheduled for 6 March to contest a place in the Pacific Series squad.
Marva Bernard, President of the Jamaican Netball Association (JNA), will today receive the keys to a five bedroom house – a gift from the Jamaican government. The house, located in the upmarket Barbican area of St Andrew, will be used to house players from the island’s various national programmes during training camps, seminars and meetings and is expected to save JNA over $1 million in expenses a year.
Congratulations to inspirational former Australian netball captain Liz Ellis, who this week was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF). Ellis was one of eight of Australia’s most decorated sportsmen and women, including cricketer Shane Warne and former rugby union captain George Gregan, who were recognised at a glittering ceremony at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne.