Netball: Silver Ferns star Karin Burger ruled out of Commonwealth Games

Name: Focus Sport: Kiwis give it a shot ahead of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Uploaded: 2022-06-14T16:06:30+12:00
Description: With the Birmingham Commonwealth Games kicking off at the end of July, the New Zealand Team want to give Kiwis a 'shot' against Valerie Adams' and Tom Walsh's personal bests. Video / NZ Herald

NZ Herald

13 Jun, 2022 10:30 PM2 mins to read

With the Birmingham Commonwealth Games kicking off at the end of July, the New Zealand Team want to give Kiwis a 'shot' against Valerie Adams' and Tom Walsh's personal bests. Video / NZ Herald

Silver Ferns defender Karin Burger has been ruled out of the Commonwealth Games with a navicular fracture in her foot, which will require surgery.

Burger, who has 33 Test caps, suffered the injury during the final round of the ANZ Premiership and will not be named for next week's Silver Ferns trial.

The Silver Ferns medical team confirmed the fracture requires surgical fixation within the next few weeks, ruling her out of next month's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua said it was a disappointing blow for the Silver Ferns and Burger.

"We really feel for Karin who has been a key member of the Silver Ferns defensive unit over a number of years," she said.

"She is hardworking, diligent, ball-getter and a fantastic team person. We will miss her immensely. We have to look ahead now, and Karin can use this opportunity to fully recover and prepare herself with next year's Netball World Cup in mind. We look forward to keeping Karin in the mix and supporting her to be better than before."

Burger, who made her Silver Ferns debut in 2018 and can cover all three defensive positions, said she was still coming to terms with missing out on the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games but was now focussed on recovering from her injury.

"Obviously this is not how I pictured the next few months going but injury is a part of an athlete's life and for me, I now need to work my way back from this and look ahead to what is another big year with the Netball World Cup in South Africa in 2023," she said.

"Like many other New Zealanders, I will be watching the Silver Ferns from home and wish them all the best for the Cadbury Netball Series and the Commonwealth Games."

The Silver Ferns trialists for the Cadbury Netball Series and Commonwealth Games teams will be announced by Netball New Zealand tomorrow, with players gathering in Wellington from 20-23 June.

The New Zealand Netball team for the Commonwealth Games team will be announced on June 27.