Netball: Colling confident she can mix it with Aussies

Belinda Colling has no concerns about being able to mix it with Australia tomorrow night. Herald file picture

Silver Fern Belinda Colling admits to some rustiness, but has no concerns about being able to mix it with Australia in the one-off netball test in Auckland tomorrow night.

Colling, 30, last played for New Zealand 15 months ago in the 3-0 home series win over the same opponents, before heading to Britain with partner Charlie Hore, who has a rugby contract in Scotland.

After becoming a mother, she returned to represent Canterbury in the national provincial championships last month and won an immediate recall to the test squad.

"I'm probably about 80 per cent of where I want to be," she said of her match fitness.

"I've definitely felt a bit rusty, but the more time I'm getting on court and the more I'm in the environment, the more I've been able to sharpen up."

While in Britain, Colling did some coaching in Edinburgh and at Northumbria University in Newcastle.

During her time away she felt she wanted to add to her 77 caps, she said.

"I think I always had it in the back of my mind that I wasn't quite finished with that," she said.

"It probably wasn't long after I had Max that I felt pretty passionate about the challenge of getting back."

Making a return after a long break was a bit of an unknown and had its little frustrations.

"I guess I'm the type of person who wants everything at once," Colling said.

"If I stepped back and had a look at what I've achieved, I'd probably feel quite satisfied about it. But like I said, I'm not there yet."

Colling hasn't seen a tape of the last trans-Tasman clash, a rugged encounter that New Zealand won 50-43 in Sydney in June.

But having been part of many tough tussles with Australia, she was braced for more of the same at Trusts Stadium.

"It's always been really physical and fiercely contested against Australia, so I know what to expect."

Colling said slotting back in the Silver Fern environment had been relatively easy, although there had been adjustments to be made with different personnel in the set-up.

A bigger challenge had been juggling motherhood with netball.

At 5-1/2 months, her son was "still really little" and his sleeping at night wasn't the best.

"Sleeping is probably his worst quality," she said.

"He's a bit like myself -- I'm not a good sleeper. But it's amazing how you manage to cope with things."

Colling will take Max with her on the Silver Ferns' three-test tour of Jamaica next month. Hore will join them in the Caribbean.

After the tour, the three will return to Scotland, before Colling heads back to New Zealand in January to prepare for the final run-in to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March.

Having won a world championship with New Zealand in 2003, the Games had become a big drawcard for her.

"It's an absolutely amazing event as well. Getting a gold medal is definitely something I'm really passionate about."

- NZPA