Netball: Impatient Henry forced to stay home

Joline Henry of the Mystics. Photo / Getty Images

Northern Mystics defender Joline Henry won't be joining her team on the plane to Adelaide today before Monday's clash against the Thunderbirds as she continues to battle her way back from an ankle injury.

Sidelined since round two, Henry had originally targeted Monday night's round six clash for her return to the court, but she said scans last week revealed the injury was more "complicated" than first thought.

"We had another little investigate last week and it was a little bit worse than we anticipated initially. But we've got the plan all up and going again and it's definitely progressing a lot faster now," said Henry.

"It was just a bit more complicated than a normal rupture - so I did a good job of it, you know. When I do things I do things properly."

The Silver Ferns star now hopes to be back for next weekend's showdown against the high-flying Firebirds in Auckland.

Missing games through injury is frustrating at any time, but Henry has found watching from the sidelines even harder these past few weeks as her side faced two exceptionally tough and pressure-filled matches.

The Mystics followed up their 56-54 upset win over the Melbourne Vixens in round four with a heartstopping one-goal win over the Magic last week, leaving Henry itching to get back into action.

"It just makes you realise why you play netball. When the going gets tough and the pressure is on like that, those are the moments you relish as a player. And to not be out there on court and being able to contribute to my team is really frustrating."

Looking at the bigger picture though, Henry acknowledges her absence from the court has helped build strong depth in the side.

In her absence young talent Kayla Cullen has been thrust in to a starting role and coped admirably, while development player Portia Woodman, promoted to the game-day squad over the past few weeks, has proved a strong option off the bench.

Henry said from the team's perspective her injury might have been a "blessing in disguise" and she was excited about what they could achieve when back to full strength.

"To see those young players get out on court and really hold their own and know we are creating such depth is really exciting," she said.

"We're definitely building a camaraderie in the team because everyone feels like they are contributing, and it's really neat to see we've got ... 12 players that can all take the court."

The Mystics-Thunderbirds clash will be the second of two big transtasman games on Monday night, with the Magic taking on the Vixens in Hamilton in the early game.

Round six action continues today with the Southern Steel hoping to gain further traction after their slow start to the season when they take on the West Coast Fever in Perth.

The Fever have copped huge batterings in their past two outings - following up last week's 31-goal capitulation to the Vixens with a 70-49 loss to the Swifts on Thursday night - and will be desperate for a good performance against the Steel.

But most of the interest across the Tasman will centre on tomorrow's heavyweight showdown between the star-studded Swifts and the table-topping Queensland Firebirds.

At the other end of the table another crucial battle will be waged tomorrow between the two winless teams of the competition - the Central Pulse and Canterbury Tactix.