Sokolich-Beatson to travel with Silver Ferns

The Silver Ferns management has opted to take both Katrina Rore and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson to England with a final decision on the make-up of the 12-strong Vitality Netball World Cup team still to be made.

Rore was ruled out of the recent Cadbury Netball Series due to a calf strain where she was replaced by fellow defender Sokolich-Beatson.

Ferns management wants to ensure that Rore is given every opportunity to recover from the injury in time for the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool which starts on July 12.

Teams must have their final 12 players to the International Netball Federation (INF) by July 9 and the Silver Ferns management team deemed it prudent to retain Sokolich-Beatson in the squad until this time.

Silver Ferns head coach Noeline Taurua said Rore was continuing to make progress but it would be important that she was able to complete match-play before being confirmed in the final team of 12.

“We are happy with the progression Katrina has made over the past week. We want to give her the best possible chance to compete at worlds,” she said.

“The next stage is important as we will need to test her on court before the finalisation of the squad on 9 July. We will have 8 games in 10 days therefore it is of vital importance to have 12 fit athletes to manage and balance the load otherwise it will impact on players at the business end if they have to cover others.”

“Katrina has been working with our medical staff and she is tracking well with her rehab plan,” she said. 

“But if she fails to pass a fitness test then we feel it is important to have Michaela on immediate stand-by especially as we are going to be on other side of the world.

“Michaela has shown she is ready to step up if called upon and has been working hard with our defensive unit and the systems we are putting in place.”

Sokolich-Beatson was part of the Silver Ferns side which completed a demanding Cadbury Netball Series, finishing second to the New Zealand Men’s Invitational side.

The Netball World Cup runs from July 12-21 in Liverpool with the Silver Ferns set to meet Malawi in their opening match.

The 13 New Zealand players along with management depart for Colchester in Essex, England, on July 3 where they will complete their final preparations.