‘I miss playing with her’: West Coast Fever star Sunday Aryang opens up on sister’s injury battle

To see a teammate suffer a season-ending injury, like a ruptured achilles tendon, is horrible. But for that player to also be your sister makes the experience all the more heartbreaking.

Witnessing a teammate injure themselves is never pleasant but as Sunday Aryang learned it is even worse when that teammate is your little sister.

Ruth ruptured her Achilles tendon during training in mid-April – ruling her out of the Super Netball season.

This season was supposed to be a big one for the 21-year-old -who had shown plenty of promise in the opening rounds playing in the defensive circle alongside Sunday.

Ruth Aryang during the Suncorp Team Girls Cup in March, prior to the injury. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

“It was not a good situation to watch her go through,” Sunday said.

The pair are very close on and off the field. They live together and with Ruth elevated to the contracted 10 this season it meant they spent most of every day together at training.

Ruth has had surgery and has started her rehab process.

“She has her days of doing well and her days of struggling,” Sunday said.

The pair have always supported each other throughout their netball journey. But Sunday said this situation was difficult as Ruth could see everything she was missing out on.

The sisters are very close. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

“When she’s at home and I’m at home we’ve got family asking questions about netball and obviously she’s not able to participate at the moment,” Sunday said.

“It would be difficult. At the start of her journey with this injury I think it was very hard for her to hear anything about netball.

“As the weeks go past she’s starting to feel a bit more comfortable talking about it and asking questions about it, but I think it’s difficult not being able to do what she wants, what she loves doing.”

Sunday has no doubt her sister will be back with the team once she gets the all clear.

“Once she starts being able to walk on her leg she’ll be able to come back into the environment,” she said.

While it is Ruth who has had her season turned upside down Sunday has also had to adjust.

Sunday Aryang has had to adjust without her little sister in the team. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images)

“The adjustment for me was not having her in the environment, not going away, travelling together, we definitely have moments of just having like sister giggles and stuff like that, connect on things that no one else really understands,” Sunday said.

“I definitely miss that. I miss playing with her.

“I know she is going to come back stronger than ever, she’s done it before, so it’s nothing she can’t do.”

After a slow start to the season Fever are once again proving to be a lethal team – especially with Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard back under the post.

“I feel like we have definitely stepped up in these last couple of weeks and I think that we were missing a bit of that hunger and with (Jhaniele) not being in the team, it was just different, we had to play a different style but now that’s she’s back we’ve regroup ourselves,” Sunday said.

“I think that the energy that she brings, the calm, honestly makes such a difference.”

Originally published as ‘I miss playing with her’: West Coast Fever star Sunday Aryang opens up on sister’s injury battle