
'Like riding a bike': Casey Kopua makes return to elite-level netball
Former Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua said she "absolutely loved every minute" of her first appearance six years on from retiring from elite-level netball.
The 39-year-old netball legend was signed as injury cover for the Greater Western Sydney Giants who play in the Australian Super Netball league.
Kopua filled in for Jodi-Ann Ward, who tore her ACL in a recent loss to the West Coast Fever.
Kopua had initially retired from the Silver Ferns in 2017 following several knee injuries and the birth of her first child, but the star returned to the black dress in 2019.
She finished her career as a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and as a Netball World Cup champion in 2019.
ADVERTISEMENT
The team lost 71-61 to the Melbourne Vixen but Kopua said she "absolutely loved every minute".
"I feel like my lungs at patches were heaving. But it's just like riding a bike, if you put a ball in front of me, I'll go and go and go.
"It's definitely a lot faster [in Australia] but I feel like you can get away with a bit more in the circle.
"I definitely think for me it's my mind and being able to concentrate and focus those channels again, but I can only go up from here hopefully."
Kopua was signed on for three weeks with an extension possible.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Newsroom
3 hours ago
- Newsroom
Records fly but top swimmer to sit out world champs
Three women have met qualifying standards in the 50m butterfly for next month's World Aquatics championships, all in lifetime best times. Two were in New Zealand record time; one was close to a Commonwealth record. It's the first time three Kiwis have gone under the World Aquatics qualifying standard in the same sprint race. However, only two per nation can enter the same event at the World Aquatics championships in Singapore, where swimming heats commence on July 27. Despite ranking fourth in the world this year, Paris Olympian Hazel Ouwehand has elected not to compete in Singapore, preferring to focus on preparation for next year's Commonwealth Games. This means third placed Laura Quilter attends her first world championships, aged 33, with secondary school student Zoe Pedersen debuting as an Aquablack. Ouwehand smashed her 50m butterfly New Zealand open record by nearly half a second at the national championships in Auckland on May 23. She clocked 25.43 seconds – a second outside the world record. It's an easy date to remember; Ouwehand's time is just 0.23 seconds off a Commonwealth record. She is now the third fastest ever in the Commonwealth, and ranks fourth in the world this year, currently making her New Zealand's highest internationally ranked swimmer. Ouwehand knew she could do a lifetime best. She even boldly told her 81,000 Instagram followers she would clock well under her NZ record of 25.88 seconds, set at last year's national championships. 'That was the goal. I knew that I had it in me; but to go 25.43 seconds I'm beyond happy,' she says. 'I expected to do a personal best; I just didn't expect it to be as much of a PB as it was – it's faster than my 50m freestyle PB.' Ouwehand's time was quicker than second at last year's world championships. It was so quick, it would have got her a medal had she swum the 50m freestyle at the national championships, but in butterfly. That's permitted, given the discipline is called freestyle. Six swimmers will debut as Aquablacks in Singapore, four in 50m sprint events. What will be a focus is that 50m butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke events are on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic programme for the first time. 'That's certainly significant from where we sit, and from where High Performance Sport New Zealand sits,' says Swimming New Zealand's head of high performance, Graeme Maw. 'We're pretty excited that we seem to have some very good 50m swimmers, and the majority are based in New Zealand where we have very good quality and a bit of depth. 'We want to support them to achieve what they are capable of doing.' Zoe Pedersen competes on day 1 of the nationals in Auckland last year. Photo: Simon Watts/ @bwmedianz Ouwehand was followed by Pedersen, a student at Whangaparaoa College, who at 26.15 seconds, was quicker than the winner at the last World Junior championships. Pedersen now ranks second on the New Zealand all-time list and has recently turned 18, so also set an age group national record. 'When I saw that time, I was so excited – it was such a good PB for me,' Pedersen says. 'It was a shock – I did not expect 26.15. Being 18 and qualifying is so cool.' She has also qualified for four events, two in butterfly and two in freestyle, for her second World Junior championships, to be held in Romania in August. After five days back home from the world championships., she will then travel to Romania where she is targeting a medal. 'I can't wait to continue this adventure and see what happens – I want to go back there and be on the podium. Obviously, I want to PB and I think I can,' she says. 'Going under 26 seconds will be insane. That will just carry me along forever.' Laura Quilter at the nationals in 2024. Photo: Simon Watts/ @bwmedianz Third was Quilter who is the first self-coached athlete to qualify for a pinnacle swimming event. Her 26.22 seconds 50m butterfly time ranks her third on the New Zealand all-time rankings. 'I swam a huge lifetime best,' she says. 'I'm still in a bit of disbelief, but I'm so excited to find new ways to swim even faster.' The butterfly event was one of seven events – three of which are 50m sprints – where two or more swimmers qualified for Singapore. That's a big increase from three events for the 2024 world championships. Ouwehand, who also works part time as an accountant, raised a few eyebrows when she announced in April that she was not going to compete at the worlds. Ouwehand's long-term goal is to compete at her second Olympics in 2028, aged 28, but first, she has her eye on two butterfly medals at next year's Commonwealth Games. 'A final is not good enough.' Two months ago, she was in a moonboot after an injury, but intends to compete at the swimming World Cup, to be held in North America in October, in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, instead of competing next month, However, dropping her time by nearly half a second further last month almost led her to reconsider. 'There are a lot of factors that contributed: health, rest, training, finances, but I don't need to go. The main thing to note is that it is not in my swim plan devised by my coach and I,' Ouwehand says. 'For me the big goal is Commonwealth Games next year – but I'm thrilled for Laura.' Quilter, who works as a nurse, initially hoped to break the 50m freestyle national record to become the first woman under 25 seconds. She fell short but described her 50m butterfly qualification as a 'silver lining'. She last competed internationally at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and retired from swimming eight years ago. She recently started training again, three times a week, to get her first qualifying time in an individual event. 'The last time I represented New Zealand was 11 years ago at the Commonwealth Games, and even then, it was as part of a relay team,' she says. 'This will be my first time qualifying for a pinnacle international event in an individual event, and I've done it as a 32-year-old, self-coached athlete.' Maw's reaction: 'It blew me away. She's self-coached, self-guided, and works incredibly hard'. For the first time in many years, most swimmers must fund just under half of the costs to compete at the world championships, although the top three are fully funded by High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) through the tailored athlete pathway support programme. Funding was a small component in Ouwehand's decision to bypass the world championships; she does not receive HPSNZ funding. Additionally, she can compete in more events at the World Cup. But didn't Swimming New Zealand bosses encourage her to reconsider? 'Oh yeah, they did, especially after that 50m butterfly. [Head coach] Graham Hill tried his darned best to encourage me to go to world champs, but the answer was still no,' Ouwehand says. 'A good solid training block is far more beneficial for me. And as much as it sucks not to be funded, I have survived to this point.' Maw says: 'We completely respect her own decision making. She's got clear aspirations for 2026, and she sees this as the best route to do that. I think that's very mature decision-making.' Of women, only Olympians Eve Thomas and Erika Fairweather receive HPSNZ funding. This year, the team to World Juniors is to receive funding assistance, whereas in previous years it was self-funded. This has certainly assisted swimmers like Pedersen. 'If that hadn't have happened, I would not have been able to go on both trips,' she says. She was also pleased to read the April announcement from World Aquatics that all 50m events, not just 50m freestyle, will be added to the 2028 Olympic programme for the LA Olympics, which gives her greater motivation to lower her sprint times. 'It's so cool. It almost changes everything, but now that the 50's are at the Olympics, the times are going to get so much quicker.' 'It's helps make thing a bit easier as my 50m butterfly is better than my 100,' Ouwehand said. Female swimmers off to the World Junior championships are Zoe Pedersen, Monique Wieruszowski, Milan Glintmeyer, Alyssa Lawson and Alyssa Tapper. Zoe Pedersen, Laura Quilter, Caitlin Deans, Eve Thomas, Amber George, Savannah-Eve Martin, Erika Fairweather, and Milana Tapper are competing at the World Championships.

RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Silver Ferns star Grace Nweke awaits Netball NZ eligibility decision
Grace Nweke can't play for the Silver Ferns, after choosing to contest the Aussie Super Netball competition. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Netball NZ says it will soon decide on any changes to its eligibility policy, so players can weigh up their options for 2026. That decision can't come soon enough for star shooter Grace Nweke, whose decision to play in the Australian competition ruled her out of playing for the Silver Ferns this year. Chief executive Jennie Wyllie said the NNZ board was reviewing the policy. "That's something that goes hand in hand with a lot of our moving parts at the moment, but it's under consideration and we've made good progress on a direction of travel there," she said. "Still a bit too early to talk to that, we have a lot of stakeholders that we need to work with in the first instance." Time is of the essence, with just four rounds left in both the Australia's Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) and the ANZ Premiership regular seasons. Wyllie said any decision made by the board on eligibility rules would be timely enough for players to make decisions about next year. "Our board understand that, to give our players certainty for the coming year across our system, we need to be able to do this before we go into player contracting, post ANZ Premiership. "The board are taking it under consideration, the timeframes will be conducive to allow clarity for everyone that needs it, when they are making contracting decisions for 2026." Grace Nweke needs to know her options for 2026. Photo: Jason McCawley / Getty Images Nweke said any change could have a big impact on her decision-making and she needed to know where she stood. "Absolutely, there's so many cards on the table in terms of possibilities and options and opportunities, so being able to make an informed decision has been the biggest thing for me," Nweke said. "Since I made my informed decision around this time last year to play here, I haven't really had any more information about the future, so just waiting to know what my options are and what I guess the implications of option A, B, C, D would look like for me is kind of key." The current policy is designed to encourage the country's top netballers to play in the New Zealand league, so it remains strong. If the criteria does not change and Nweke opts to stay in Australia, she would miss next year's Commonwealth Games. The 23-year-old will have to make a decision soon. "It's getting about that time where you think about what you're doing the following season, so definitely looking forward to hearing whatever comes out of Netball New Zealand." Typically, clubs can already re-sign current contracted players in the SSN, before a contracting window opens after the Grand Final to approach players from other clubs. New Zealand is similar, with the added complication that Netball NZ is still finalising a broadcast deal - its current Sky agreement is expiring at the end of the year. The bargaining process for a new 2026 collective agreement between the Players' Association and Netball New Zealand will be delayed, until the national body reaches an agreement on broadcast rights. NNZ has already confirmed that a six-team domestic competition will continue in 2026. "It will be visible to our fans, but we're just working through that detail," Wyllie said. Nweke said she could feel the growth she had made since joining SSN, and had learnt a lot from playing against a range of international defenders from Jamaica, England and Australia. "Each week, teams are working on ways to combat our attacking unit, so there are moments where I genuinely feel quite stumped or really challenged, and I go to the bench, and ask for coaching and advice. The opportunity to learn in the moment has been awesome." Casey Kopua has come out of retirement to fulfill her Super Netball ambition. Photo: Brendon Thorne Silver Fern centurion Casey Kopua made a shock return to netball, when she came out of retirement three weeks ago to help the injury-depleted Giants, halfway through the SSN season. Kopua, 40, retired from elite netball, after helping the Silver Ferns win the 2019 Netball World Cup, but had always wanted to play in the SSN. She will mark Nweke when her side plays the Swifts on Sunday and said she could understand the appeal for players who wanted to test themselves across the Tasman. Kopua said she missed the former trans-Tasman competition, when it ended after the 2016 season. "I was a big advocate for that to carry on," she said. "I loved coming up against the Aussies, and you could test yourself and see where you were at. "Also, I guess, it kept you at that international level, so when you played them internationally, it wasn't so much of a shock. I was all for that, playing them week in and week out." The eligibility issue first came to the forefront when teammate Laura Langman wanted to play in Australia. She was eventually given an exemption and captained the Silver Ferns to the 2019 World Cup victory. While she could see both sides of the debate, Kopua said playing in the SSN could only be a good thing for Nweke's game. "She's going to be learning a whole lot more skills and tools that she can bring back. If it makes her a better person and a better player, then why not? "She's an outstanding player and I think that New Zealand Netball need her." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.


Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Key Match-up For Pulse Against Steel
Back-to-back losses have left Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse on wobbly ground as they prepare for a high-stakes rematch against the Southern Steel in ANZ Premiership netball action in Wellington on Monday. An out-of-sorts Pulse have slipped to third spot on the points table and now have the Magic hot on their heels, poised one point behind with just four rounds remaining as the battle for a place in the Finals Series (top three) gathers momentum. ``We've all got the fuel to be better,'' Pulse midcourter Maddy Gordon said. ``It's always said that losses can be beneficial, that you can improve and get better from them but obviously, it's a shorter season, so there's not a lot of time to work things out. ``I'm confident that we can get out of this slump. The main thing is that everyone's mindset is looking ahead and how we can be better. ``We know how good we can be when we're all on and we've seen that in a couple of games, so it's just finding that spark again.'' One real positive for the Pulse has been the form of shooter Amelia Walmsley who has not missed a shot in her previous two matches and sits on top of the league for number of goals scored and highest percentage, at 97 percent accuracy. ``When we get her the ball, she's getting it in, so it's how we get her the ball more, which means looking after the ball, less losses as an attacking unit and really working on how we can get her that 100 percent ball because the stats tell a story there,'' Gordon said. Having a slow start to the season because of injury, Gordon is an influential figure in the midcourt with her big engine and relentless hustle. She has a strong connection with her shooter in providing near-perfect feeds but has been a little frustrated in working her way back. ``I feel like I'm doing okay,'' she said. ``It's been a slow climb…..I've been on managed loads for a bit but it's coming and I just need time under the belt. The positive thing is that each game it's getting a bit better. ``The vision into Amelia is going really well but I want to get a bit more oomph in that defence part and going for things. I'm confident that will come with more time in training, which has also been a bit on and off (in terms of participation).'' Making the bold decision to move to Wellington from Auckland in her first year out of school has proved life-changing for Gordon. With the aim of playing for Central Manawa in the National Netball League (NNL) and joining the Police Force, Gordon quickly found her feet and her way into the Silver Ferns and as such, a life on the beat, was quickly shelved. ``The ride has been crazy,'' she said. ``Coming down here playing NNL, working three jobs…I knew it was going to be tough work…….I never would have thought I would be in the Silver Ferns as a 20-year-old (debuting at 21), just because of how my story went and how I had to move so much to be where I am. ``I've had to work hard for it. It didn't just get given to me and where I am now, I never would have thought at 25, I'd be one of the experienced ones at the Pulse, let alone in the Silver Ferns as well. ``It's definitely been tough but I've loved it and wouldn't change it. The Pulse took a shot with me. I was never a big name, never on the wanted list. I put myself here and it was a case of, `watch me, I'll show you what I've got kind of thing'. And they really did and stuck with me through the whole time. ``They have made me the player I am today and I'm always grateful.'' For now, Gordon's got a wary on the Steel in what's shaping as a pivotal match for the Pulse. ``They had a great win last week and they probably weren't proud of their performance that they put up against us the last time we played (70-45 loss), so we know they'll be coming,'' she said. ``They're probably going to come out with something different, so we also need a plan B but we know what we need to do. We're excited but we do know that they're going to come out all guns blazing.''