By JULIE ASH
Silver Ferns defender Linda Vagana is retiring from internationals.
After 61 tests for New Zealand, Vagana has decided it is time to go.
"Netball has been my priority for the past 10 years," she said yesterday.
"There are a lot of opportunities outside netball which are happening for me now. It is sad, but this is the best time for me to retire."
Vagana said she wanted to focus on her job at the Auckland University of Technology, where she is a marketing co-ordinator, and her bachelor of social science degree studies.
She is also involved with youth groups and the Diabetes Foundation, which she is helping to create awareness of the disease within the Pacific community.
The 31-year-old from Waitakere made her mind up to retire while on holiday in Europe after the Commonwealth Games.
"I am pleased to leave the team at a time when we have a number of talented defenders, such as Vilimaina Davu, Anna Veronese and Sheryl Clarke.
"I have full confidence in the players who are coming through and the players who are in there. I can only see them getting better."
Vagana said the decision to retire a year out from the world championships was a difficult one.
"It was really hard, but I can't keep waiting for it to be the right time.
"I am going out happy."
Vagana's decision comes eight months after former captain Bernice Mene's retirement, closing the book on what was one of the strongest defensive combinations in world netball.
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken said Vagana would be a loss to the team.
"Linda has been more than a star player in the Silver Ferns, she has been a true role model.
"Linda can be proud that she leaves a legacy of excellence both as an athlete and a key leader in her sport," Aitken said.
Vagana made her debut for the New Zealand team in 1993 against the Cook Islands.
She missed out on selection in 1994 and 1995, but has been a regular in the team ever since.
She was part of the team who finished second in the 1999 world championships and won Commonwealth Games silver medals in 1998 and this year.
"I think I have had the ups and downs as any athlete would," Vagana said, "but I think all of those moments have made my career successful."
She said the highlight was winning the World Youth Cup in Fiji in 1993.
But Vagana will not be entirely lost to New Zealand netball. She will play for the Force in next year's National Bank Cup and will help Netball North to prepare for the national provincial championships.
"Netball has been a huge chunk of my life," she said, "and I am not ready to give it away completely just yet."
Netball: Veteran defender calls it quits
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