Netball NZ National Champs prepares Latu for trials
September 30, 2015
Cathrine Latu in action for Waitakere at Netball NZ National Champs
Plenty of soul-searching and a return to Netball heartland has Waitakere’s Cathrine Latu in a relaxed state of mind ahead of next week’s Silver Ferns trials.
Missing out on the Silver Ferns World Cup team was a blow for the popular sharp shooter but she has now turned the corner, putting in the hard mental and physical work behind the scenes in a bid to earn a recall.
GET TICKETS: New World Netball Series for the Constellation Cup
Physical conditioning with a personal trainer and teaming up with and taking on the captaincy of Waitakere have all played their part in helping the talented shooter get back on track.
“I do physically feel really good,” Latu said. “I suffered from some pretty intense heartbreak when I didn’t make that World Cup team and for me, I had to do some soul searching and find out if coming back was something I really genuinely wanted to do and not just by the fact that I was embarrassed that I didn’t make it.
“I did speak to some really close friends and family, and it is what I want to do. I don’t want to end like that and I want to have another good crack at getting back. I love a good fight and I’ll assess again after that (trials).”
International duties have meant Latu has not played at the national championships for the past four or five years and she has embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly to play in this week’s Netball NZ National Champs in Wellington.
DRAW & RESULTS: Netball NZ National Champs
“This is really where we all got our first chance,” she said of the national tournament.
“It’s where we all really started to hit our straps when I think of all the girls I’ve come through with. It’s really awesome to be back.
“It’s kind of the heart of Netball and brings back memories of just being a little bit younger and also just doing that whole week away, living in each other’s pockets and getting to know different people. It’s very enjoyable.”
It is the first time in her career that Latu has had a captaincy role and that, too, has had a positive effect.
“It is a very different position to be in and something you only realise when you’re chucked in the deep end, so I do have a new appreciation for the likes of Casey (Kopua, Silver Ferns captain) and Maria (Tutaia, Mystics captain),” she said.
“I’m lucky that we have a really good group of girls and I’ve actually known a lot of them for a long time.”
As far as the Silver Ferns trials are concerned, Latu is determined to just stay relaxed and give it her best shot.
“I was a little wound up before the World Cup announcement…It really affected everything around me, so this time I’m just going to let it be,” she said.
“I’m going to do what I can so that I know that when I’m 97 years old and I am sitting somewhere watching the Silver Ferns, I can have a better story, like, I tried to come back, I gave it everything I had.
“I want to fight back and know that I gave it a good shot.”
Latu will join the other Silver Ferns triallists in camp in Auckland next week.
Missing out on the Silver Ferns World Cup team was a blow for the popular sharp shooter but she has now turned the corner, putting in the hard mental and physical work behind the scenes in a bid to earn a recall.
GET TICKETS: New World Netball Series for the Constellation Cup
Physical conditioning with a personal trainer and teaming up with and taking on the captaincy of Waitakere have all played their part in helping the talented shooter get back on track.
“I do physically feel really good,” Latu said. “I suffered from some pretty intense heartbreak when I didn’t make that World Cup team and for me, I had to do some soul searching and find out if coming back was something I really genuinely wanted to do and not just by the fact that I was embarrassed that I didn’t make it.
“I did speak to some really close friends and family, and it is what I want to do. I don’t want to end like that and I want to have another good crack at getting back. I love a good fight and I’ll assess again after that (trials).”
International duties have meant Latu has not played at the national championships for the past four or five years and she has embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly to play in this week’s Netball NZ National Champs in Wellington.
DRAW & RESULTS: Netball NZ National Champs
“This is really where we all got our first chance,” she said of the national tournament.
“It’s where we all really started to hit our straps when I think of all the girls I’ve come through with. It’s really awesome to be back.
“It’s kind of the heart of Netball and brings back memories of just being a little bit younger and also just doing that whole week away, living in each other’s pockets and getting to know different people. It’s very enjoyable.”
It is the first time in her career that Latu has had a captaincy role and that, too, has had a positive effect.
“It is a very different position to be in and something you only realise when you’re chucked in the deep end, so I do have a new appreciation for the likes of Casey (Kopua, Silver Ferns captain) and Maria (Tutaia, Mystics captain),” she said.
“I’m lucky that we have a really good group of girls and I’ve actually known a lot of them for a long time.”
As far as the Silver Ferns trials are concerned, Latu is determined to just stay relaxed and give it her best shot.
“I was a little wound up before the World Cup announcement…It really affected everything around me, so this time I’m just going to let it be,” she said.
“I’m going to do what I can so that I know that when I’m 97 years old and I am sitting somewhere watching the Silver Ferns, I can have a better story, like, I tried to come back, I gave it everything I had.
“I want to fight back and know that I gave it a good shot.”
Latu will join the other Silver Ferns triallists in camp in Auckland next week.