Injury lay-off for star Diamond Courtney Bruce provides silver lining for national team
An ankle injury sidelined Courtney Bruce for the longest period since her national debut in 2017, but it provided an opportunity for the star Diamond to mentor the next generation.
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Courtney Bruce’s injury lay-off may yet prove to have a silver lining for the Diamonds despite their key defender having been sidelined for the longest period since her national team debut in 2017.
Bruce returns from an injury hiatus that included surgery to remove a cyst from her ankle and rehabilitation of a nagging achilles problem and is raring to go after missing last month’s series against England.
While the time on the sidelines was difficult for one of the busiest players in the national set-up, it has had an upside for the Diamonds who were forced to look to other options with both Bruce and Jo Weston, who started as the circle defenders in last year’s World Cup final, unavailable.
Experienced players Sarah Klau and Sunday Aryang started against England, and shone, while Vixens goalkeeper Rudi Ellis made her debut in the series, becoming Diamond number 190 in the opening Test, with Bruce’s Sunshine Coast Lightning teammate Ash Ervin also in the squad and on the cusp of making her own Diamonds debut.
Bruce’s work in the background with Ervin in particular, but also Ellis, has provided a massive fillip to both the 30-year-old herself as well as the emerging players.
Bruce was back training ahead of the England series but after talking to the Diamonds’ medical team, as well as coach Stacey Marinkovich and her assistant and defensive lead Nicole Richardson, she realised her body wouldn’t be ready for the rigours of international play.
“Having just a little bit of downtime, a little bit of break, it was a bit daunting,” said Bruce, who played more minutes for the Diamonds last year than anyone.
“I knew I would probably be more frustrated at myself and my body knowing it couldn’t compete in the way that I would want it to, so having some time off and actually getting that right was a huge benefit.
“I found a great appreciation for how I can lead off the court. I’ve always been kind of a leader that goes and does things on the court and just plays my game and tries to get the team up and about that way.
“Having to do something a little bit different and really getting to spend, in the Lightning environment, some really good one-on-one time with Ashey (was rewarding).”
It could even be the beginning of Bruce’s own coaching journey, with the defender saying she now understands why coaches coach.
“And then from a Diamonds perspective, I still felt very much a part of the group. ‘Richo’ had me taking notes during every game … from the England series and that kept me really well connected to the group and the defence,” she said.
It was a genius move from the Diamonds, especially for an athlete that has been frank about her mental health battles.
“That was definitely something that challenged me at the start. When I first got injured in round 4, my capacity to just go for a walk was taken away from me, so not being able to even exercise was pretty tough,” Bruce said.
“But it really forced me to look at things that make me Courtney away from the court.
“It definitely challenged me but I think Lightning and Diamonds … did a really good job of making me feel just as important off the court as I was on the court.”
Bruce will be back on court on Sunday when the Diamonds reignite their biggest rivalry against world no. 2 New Zealand in the Constellation Cup in Wellington and the ‘keeper resumes her personal battle with Silver Ferns goaler Grace Nweke, arguably the best shooter in world netball at the moment.
The four-Test series is likely to be their last showdown for a while in the international arena, with Nweke’s defection to Super Netball making her ineligible for New Zealand selection for 2025.
“I think she’s an incredible athlete and still so young – it blows my mind how young she is (22) and what she’s been able to do so far in her career,” Bruce said.
“She is one of the shooters that obviously challenges all of us quite a bit, so I think it’s going to be good to come up against her and if it’s her last time in the black dress for a while, I think she’s going to be fired up to help them get across that line.”
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