Giants pull massive selection shock for next Super Netball match calling in former Silver Ferns captain
Former Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua, who turns 40 in a matter of weeks, has been called to the rescue for the Giants by Julie Fitzgerald. This is why she said yes to an unlikely return.
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To many, the question is why.
To former Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua though, who received a shock call-up from former coach Julie Fitzgerald during the week to play for the injury-stricken Giants, the answer is simple.
Why not?
Kopua may be years retired from elite netball and just weeks away from her 40th birthday.
But she didn’t need much convincing after receiving an SOS from Fitzgerald earlier this week that she should head across the Tasman to bolster the Giants’ ranks.
“I love a challenge, and I feel like I have a connection with Julie,” Kopua said.
“I wouldn’t do this for a lot of (other) people and her and I stayed in touch.
“And probably the other thing is, to be brave and put myself back out there and inspire my kids.”
Kopua’s injection comes with the Giants’ defensive end in disarray after confirmation earlier this week that Jodi-Ann Ward had ruptured her ACL in the Round 7 clash against West Coast Fever.
Goalkeeper Tilly McDonell also remains sidelined with a calf injury that has already kept her out for several weeks, with the club already blooding training partner Aimee Landrigan to play alongside contracted young gun Erin O’Brien.
Kopua, who Fitzgerald has rated one of the best defensive players she’s ever coached, is not a total stranger to the coach or some of her teammates either, having played under Fitzgerald alongside co-captains Jamie-Lee Price and Jo Harten at the Bay of Plenty Magic in the former Trans-Tasman league.
But the critics have already come calling, taking little time after the club made the announcement of Kopua’s surprise injection on Friday morning to comment, judge, and smear one of the legends of the game.
“There’s definitely the furore, I guess, which I have already seen,” she said.
“You know, the judgments and, not haters, but you know, the ones that have always got something to say.
“I guess I’ve been out of that loop for a little while, so you forget what that feels like.
“But definitely I’m not afraid - and I’m not afraid of the challenge either.”
Kopua and husband Terry, who will be watching on from New Zealand with the couple’s three children this week but could fly over if her stay in the league is extended, spoke about the possibility of criticism.
“You’ve just got to take the good with the bad and worry about the ones that you actually care about that say stuff about you,” she said.
“But it’s pretty crazy. Admittedly, I’m here for it.”
Fitzgerald managed to convince the 39-year-old to return by “dangling the carrot a wee bit”.
“And then I feel a bit rejuvenated and you get that adrenaline rush going again, and I’m back living the dream, I guess,” Kopua said.
“I’m playing something that I love. Obviously I am older and I haven’t played that level (for a while).
“I’ve been training with the Giants (over the past couple of days) so it’s like a riding a bike, get back on the horse. You’ve just got to push yourself.”
Kopua had to be convinced the approach wasn’t a joke though.
Unaware of the Giants injury situation - confirmation that Ward’s knee injury was an ACL came through earlier this week - Kopua thought Fitzgerald was having her on when she initially texted to see if she’d be available.
But she didn’t need too much convincing and was on a plane on Wednesday, arriving late that night before training with the team on Friday.
As well as being an example to her three children, now aged nine, five and three, Kopua knew the offer was something her father Murray would have urged her to take on.
Murray Williams died just a couple of months ago but Kopua’s mother Joanne flew in on Thursday night to watch.
“That’s another reason also why I’m here, because I know that he would tell me, you can’t, you can’t, not take that opportunity,” she said.
Kopua will be pitched into the deep end on Sunday, when the Giants take on the Melbourne Vixens and their all-Diamond shooting end.
But she’s excited for the challenge and will use every bit of the smarts collected in 112 Tests for the Ferns, including her last, an MVP performance in the 2019 World Cup where the Kiwis beat Australia by a goal in the final.
“Obviously, SSN (Super Netball) is a lot faster than the netball I play, so timing is going to be a little bit out, but I just have to be a bit smarter,” she said.
“Not that I’m going to hold back, but you can’t go for everything and anything that you used to be able to do.
“I’ve definitely got to use my top two inches and make sure I box out on those rebounds.”
But for her own kids, mums and every woman thinking of chasing a goal, Kopua is going for it.
“No matter what your age, if you feel like you can - and I said to Julie (Fitzgerald), I wouldn’t have said yes to you, as if I didn’t think that I could - if you’ve got a goal or an opportunity arises, why not, don’t let anything hold you back.
“And if it can work, then make it work for you.”
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