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Commonwealth Games Preview: Casey Kopua

Expert
24th July, 2014
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Casey Kopua, the New Zealand women’s netball team captain, is one of the most important players in a side that will surely be there at the business end of the Commonwealth Games tournament. Kopua, 29, has been a mainstay in the Silver Ferns since her debut, and has had a distinguished career in international netball. She co-captained the side in 2008 and took over as captain in 2009, at the age of 24.

She has won two silver World Netball Championship medals and two gold Commonwealth Games medals in her time with the Silver Ferns, a period that has witnessed unequalled success for the team.

What position do I play?
Goal defence or goal keep.

Why am I a ‘must watch’ player?
Her Silver Ferns coach, Wai Taumaunu, has said of Kopua, “You can’t buy the sort of will to win that Casey has got.” She has a strong track record in the game, having played the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medal match in Melbourne with a broken ankle she sustained in the semi-final. That’s serious toughness!

Kopua, who was called up to the Silver Ferns squad at age 19, actually started out with aspirations of being a shooter rather than a defender. However, while she is in the back court, her natural attacking instincts have stayed with her. As a result she is known for using her attacking combinations to turn matches, on top of her elite defensive timing and range.

Background:
Kopua has been a mainstay of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty (BOP) Magic provincial side since the side was founded in 2003. She’s recently committed to the side again, with a contract extension keeping her with the club until 2015. Surprisingly, given the number of times she’s led her national side, Kopua has only been captain of the Magic since earlier this year.

In 2008 the ANZ Championship arrived and revolutionised netball by providing a high-quality, trans-Tasman tournament between five Australian and five New Zealand sides. In the inaugural season, Kopua was awarded player of the tournament – winning the prize of a new car! Kopua has been such an important figure in her chosen field she was, at just 26, made Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit alongside her national coach at the time, Ruth Aitken.

Her success has continued all the way up until today, being recognised with a place on the All Stars team this season.

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Off the court
Away from netball, Kopua appears to be exactly what we imagine popular Kiwi athletes to be – someone everyone wants to hang out with. Much of her Instagram feed is full of pictures of her spending time with her good friends and their children. Like most sports stars from the land of the long white cloud, she doesn’t appear too often in the media – her wedding being the notable exception.

Form heading into the games
Kopua had surgery on her ankle in early 2014 to clear up an injury which she said had “built up…probably over years”. Despite being unable to play, she was thought important enough to be named a team coach on a Silver Ferns tour in January.

After recovering from the surgery, Kopua captained the Waikato-BOP Magic to a semi-finals place in the ANZ Championships.

Who’s my competition?
Currently New Zealand holds the number-one ranking, just ahead of Australia. Australia was the side the Silver Ferns toppled in double-overtime to take gold in Delhi in 2010. A Laura Geitz-led Aussie Diamonds team, the Ferns’ oldest rivals, stand between Kopua and another Commonwealth gld.

Australia has won the last two world titles and the Kiwis have won the last two Commonwealth Games gold medals. Such a strong duopoly is unlikely to be broken this time around, but any change at the top would likely come from England or Jamaica.

Fast Facts
Name: Casey Kopua
Event: Netball
Position: Goal defence or goal keep
Turned professional: began playing for Waikato-Bay of Plenty in 2003
National appearances: 77 Silver Fern caps, 52 as captain
Social following: 4,438 followers on Twitter @caseymay04 and 3,862 followers on Instagram at caseymay04

This article was first published on the Tenplay website here.

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