Netball: Rasmussen goes from strength to strength to cement starting spot

Grace Rasmussen of New Zealand takes a pass during the international test series between New Zealand Silver Ferns and the Fiji Pearls. Photo / Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Rasmussen goes from strength to strength to cement starting spot ahead of World Cup

In a year of dramatic changes of fortune for some of New Zealand's top netballers, midcourter Grace Rasmussen's road to World Cup selection has largely been overlooked.

During the Silver Ferns' build-up to this week's tournament in Sydney, much of the focus has instead fallen on the likes of youngsters Malia Paseka, Kayla Cullen and Phoenix Karaka, who displaced several long-serving veterans of the side.

And yet Rasmussen is possibly the best example of the changing selection philosophy from the Silver Ferns' brains trust.

A year after missing out on selection for the Commonwealth Games, the 27 year-old midcourter heads into the World Cup as the Silver Ferns' first-choice wing attack as the New Zealand selectors this time opted for form over reputation.

Rasmussen was considered by many extremely unlucky to have missed out on the team for Glasgow after an outstanding ANZ Championship season with the Magic.

She got her chance to make a statement later in the year during the Constellation Cup against Australia, establishing her place in the starting line-up by the end of the series.

The series marked Rasmussen's international return after a four-year spell in the wilderness having last taken the court for the Ferns in 2010 Commonwealth Games.

She was a genuine bolter in the team for Delhi, filling the fourth shooting spot after an eye-catching display at goal attack during national trials.

Rasmussen now heads into her second major tournament in a very different position - not just on the court, but in pecking order as well.

But the crafty wing attack said she isn't daunted by the extra pressure that comes with being a key member of the side.

"I only really just thought about it the other week," she said.

"It is a major tournament and I'm probably coming at it from a slightly different angle than going into the Comm Games where I didn't play as many games to now playing a bit more of a key role in the attack end, but I'm mentally prepared for it and I'm really looking forward to getting out there."

Rasmussen, who has led a young Magic attack end over the past two seasons, believes having experienced some very tight play-offs matches both years has helped gear her up for what to expect in Sydney.

"Having that sort of exposure to finals pressure is probably the best preparation you can have for these big tournaments. It's obviously still a massive step up, but to have that experience to draw on really helps."

She admits there have been a few times the nerves have kicked in though, particularly during the orientation of the World Cup venue yesterday.

The one-hour walk-through of Allphones Arena yesterday was the first and only opportunity for the Ferns to familiarise themselves with the stadium before they take on Barbados in Friday's opener.

"Just warming up I had sort of tingles up the spine thinking of what it is going to be like in there when the stadium is packed out and how noisy it will be," said Rasmussen.

For the team it was a chance to do a run-through of their match day routine. But for New Zealand skipper Casey Kopua, it was also a chance to make peace.

It was the first time the star defender had set foot on the court she was stretchered from nearly 10 months ago, after rupturing her patella tendon during the Ferns' disastrous Constellation Cup campaign last year.

Silver Ferns netball player Grace Rasmussen during training at AUT Sports and Fitness Centre. Photo / Dean Purcell

Grace Rasmussen

• A bolter in the Silver Ferns line-up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Rasmussen made her international debut as a shooter.
• The youngster missed selection for the World Cup in Singapore the following year after rupturing her ACL playing for the Mystics in the ANZ Championship.
• A move to the Magic in 2014 rejuvenated Rasmussen's career, as she established herself as one of the competition's top-performing wing attacks.