Grant's Wish List

Silver Ferns defender Katrina ‘Pole’ Grant has a wish list of things to accomplish while in Glasgow for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

 It will come as no surprise to anyone, but top of the list is another gold medal to add to her rather impressive collection.

Katrina won her first Netball gold medal as part of the New Zealand Under 21 side winning the World Youth Netball Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2005.

Future Silver Ferns Casey Kopua, Laura Langman, Liana Leota, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit and Maria Tutaia were also part of the team which defeated England in the final.

The taste for gold was satiated again in 2009 when the New Zealand team won the inaugural World Netball Series (FASTNET) in Liverpool. Just one year later came the pinnacle in Katrina’s career to date, standing atop the podium after the exhilarating gold medal match against Australia in Delhi.

“It doesn’t compare to anything else,” she said. “When we won at the World Youth Championships, that was awesome, but winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal is like nothing else, it’s the best feeling ever.

“I still get goose bumps when I think about it!”

As part of the three ‘camps’ the Silver Ferns have been in over the past month, a lot of time has been spent analysing opposition teams, knowing full well the Ferns will have to beat the best teams in the world if they want to fulfil their dreams of winning another gold.

“We are very much looking at what we do and working to our strengths,” she said.

“But let’s face it, we always have to be assessing our opposition, especially the top nations like Australia, England, Jamaica and South Africa.”

The 27 year old will have family support in Glasgow for the upcoming campaign with her mother and step-father heading to Scotland, but Grant draws a great deal of support from her teammates, namely Ferns captain Casey Kopua.

“For my favourite roommate, I can’t go past Casey,” she admits.

“She’s my partner in crime and she knows me inside out so is great in all situations, plus she’s just an awesome human.”

In the high pressure environment of a pinnacle event like the Commonwealth Games, Katrina knows the importance of being able to switch off for a while to cope with being around the same people 24/7.

Leaving most of her support base back in New Zealand, she says it’s important to look on the lighter side of life as well.

“I will miss my family, friends and my flatmates,” she said. “But I think it helps to have a good laugh with my teammates now and then.

“We have a few jokers in the team, so I usually just hang out with them and have a laugh-fest!”