Jumping out of
their skins! And it
was a similar sight
for netball fans at
home as we jumped
off our couches.A
ll hailourmighty
SilverFerns!The
sensationalsquad’s
Netball World Cup
victorywasthe
ultimatestoryofredemption,
withourgirlsbringinghome
thetrophyafter 16 yearsof
hardsloganddetermination.
Thenail-bitingfinalin
LiverpoolsawtheSilverFerns
beatAustralia52–51,taking
outthetitleforthefirsttime
since2003.Theplayers’faces- a mixofshock,screams,
smilesandtears– saidit all.
Theywereeuphoricandso
wasNewZealand.
Thevictorywasa
remarkableturnaroundfor
theteam– theultimate
comebackaftera tumultuous
12 monthsinwhichthey
failedtoplaceatthe
CommonwealthGames
afterlosingtoMalawi.
AccordingtocaptainLaura
Langman, 33,therewasa
specialingredienttotheirrise
fromunderdogstobeingon
topoftheworld.“Noels.
Noelsis thesecret– she’sa
magician,”shesaysofcoach
NoelineTaurua, whowas
appointedjust 11 monthsago.
Andit was51-year-old
NoelinewhobroughtLaura
backintothesquad,aswellas
retiredplayerCaseyKopua,
34.Theduo,alongwithMaria
Folau, 32,werenicknamedthe
“fossils”and,withmorethan
400 collectivetestcaps,they
ledtheteamfromthefront- butit wasn’teasy.
“Wealwayssaidit was
goingtobebumpyandjeepers
it waslike,squeezeyourbum
cheekstogether,that’sfor
sure!” says Laura. “But I feel
really proud to have done it for
people like Casey, who’s given
so much to the game. It’s been
an incredible journey.”
As sweet as the victory
was, the team’s mid-court
anchor Laura admits it wasn’t
the final that brought her the
greatest joy – it was the “huge”
semi-final!
“We’d always been renowned
for being able to put out a one-
game stellar performance, but
to back it up? It was massive,”
Laura tells, adding how much
she appreciated the English
promotion of the sport.
“We’re eternally grateful to
them. But to have beaten them?
PICTURES: AP, GETTY IMAGES. That was pretty remarkable.”Diamonds lose their
sparkle! Laura shows why
she’s the Silver Ferns’ most
cappedplayer.L 33 thWoman’s Day 95
ll h il i hGOLD
Below: Sweat-
toothed! Casey’s
curly-haired cutie
Maia, three, stole
the show as she
licked the sweat
off her mum.