Casey Kopua not giving up on World Cup dream

Magic's Casey Kopua in action. Photo / Michael Bradley Photography

A week after Casey Kopua's surgery to reattach her patella tendon to her kneecap, Silver Ferns physiotherapist Sharon Kearney paid the star defender a visit at her Hamilton home.

Kearney was there to map out Kopua's rehabilitation plan and pathway back into the national team. But before she did, she asked the broken-down New Zealand captain an important question: "Do you even want to play again?"

It was an understandable question. Over the course of her brilliant career Kopua has endured a string of frustrating injury setbacks. Even at 20, when she made her Silver Ferns debut, there were concerns over Kopua's "dodgy knees". Then there are her ankles.

Weakened by years playing netball at top speed, both have needed clear outs to remove rogue cartilage.

So when Kopua crashed to the floor screaming and clutching her knee in the third test of what had already been a disastrous Constellation Cup series against Australia in October last year, many wondered if that might be the last act of the outrageously talented defender's international career. Her precious pins must surely have taken about all they can take.

Kopua wasn't one of those people. She didn't need to give Kearney's question much thought - "I said yes, definitely I'm not giving up, I want to be at the World Cup," Kopua recalls.

And so Kearney laid out the road ahead. Days, weeks and months of intensive rehab stretched ahead of Kopua as she first had to regain the movement in the joint at a glacial pace of 15 degrees of bend each week. Then she faced the task of strengthening the muscles around her knee that had atrophied after months of immobility.

Kopua has kept a detailed diary of her progress, with photos, video and journal entries marking the highs and lows along the way. Last night was what Kopua, in her understated style, described as a "good night".

Two hundred and twenty seven days after rupturing her patella tendon in her left knee, the star defender returned to the court in the Magic's 52-47 win over the Pulse in Hamilton.

That win cemented the Magic's place in the transtasman league playoffs for the eighth straight season - albeit they were aided by the new conference system put in place this year. But for Kopua the match meant so much more.

It was a major milestone in the journey that began in her living room all those months ago, when she determinedly spoke of her wish to lead the Ferns into Sydney's Allphones Arena - the same court on which she suffered that shocking injury - for the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

Kopua is still no certainty to make the August tournament. She knows getting back on court is only half the battle and the next two months will be about a whole lot of re's - rebuilding confidence, regaining match fitness, rediscovering combinations and yes, yet more rehab.

But Casey Kopua is definitely not giving up.