Netball: Constable on light duties as Silver Ferns face big test

By Suzanne McFadden

Constable Jenny-May Coffin cannot tackle any criminals or rugby players this week as she battles to repair a netball shoulder injury in the next five days.

She is undergoing daily therapy in her bid to be fit enough to play for the Silver Ferns in their big test against Australia in Christchurch this weekend.

Coffin dislocated her left shoulder in the final test against Jamaica a fortnight ago.

Coffin has had time off work to recover from her injury and has sat out training sessions with the New Zealand touch rugby squad, which she is also part of.

"It's been a pain in the rear end, having to sit around and watch," she said.

"But realistically the netball test is the most important thing to me, so it's worth sacrificing the rest."

Regardless of whether she is fully fit, the Hamilton policewoman will still travel with the team to Christchurch on Wednesday to get ready for Saturday's Fisher and Paykel Cup match.

Coffin was making her comeback in the Silver Ferns side - and had made the starting seven in the midcourt - when the injury happened.

"I picked up a ball going out of court with my left hand and flicked it behind my head. I felt something go but there was only a minute until the end of the quarter so I stayed on," she said.

"I had some physio and went back on in the final quarter, and that's when it happened a second time. I jumped up in the air with both hands up and it just went dead.

"It was so frustrating because I felt like I was playing well."

Although she was told she could not apprehend offenders in the line of duty with her bad shoulder, she has been able to do footwork on court.

Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering said she had no intention of replacing Coffin in the 12-strong squad, retained from the Jamaican tour.

The rest of the players have been training with their Coca-Cola Cup franchise teams since returning from the Caribbean. They have had plenty of work to do under request from Willering.

"Some of them lacked speed work, which showed in their timing in Jamaica," she said. "But you have to remember this is still very early in the season."

At least the Australians are in the same boat time-wise.

But Willering emphatically argued against Australian coach Jill McIntosh's claim that the Ferns have the upper hand over the world champions because New Zealand have played two tests already this year.

"We don't have any advantage - I just don't buy that one," Willering said.

"They've had three training camps and you can get plenty out of them."