Netball: Tutaia readies for the northern slog

Maria Tutaia says she misses home but she's has a job to do. Photo / Getty Images

The Silver Ferns are battling physical and mental fatigue as they enter the home stretch of a gruelling end of year tour, but the players are determined to finish the season on a high.

This morning's test against England in Bath is the ninth of an 11-test season.

None could be considered as eminently winnable, with five coming against world champions Australia, three against a composite world seven that were better than most had bargained on, and two yet to come against Jamaica in Kingston next week.

The demanding schedule prompted coach Ruth Aitken to give her players a day and a half off upon arrival in Bath, which came as a welcome relief to shooter Maria Tutaia.

She admits the players were feeling "netballed out" after a busy start to the tour, which included a week-long camp where the team was training twice a day to get up to speed for last weekend's World Netball Series.

Along with combating heavy legs, the Ferns also have to be wary of the dangers of life on the road.

"The coaches have spoken to us about making sure mentally we're not bogged down and not getting bored or anything," she said.

"There's 15 of us here and we're all pretty good at keeping each other occupied. We've done a bit of sight-seeing in Bath and the girls have obviously done a lot of shopping. So we're just making sure that mentally we're keeping on top of things and keeping busy during the day."

Tutaia said as the end of the tour draws near they have had to be careful to stay focused on the job at hand and not let their minds wander to their summer break.

The 22-year-old self-confessed family girl admits to feeling homesick at times in what has been the longest tour she has been involved in.

"It's definitely hard being away from your family for this long. It's not often Silver Ferns camps go on for almost a month," she said.

"But it's just something professional athletes have to go through and I think for me it's an experience to endure and realise how I can cope and what things I can do better after this tour."

"I am missing home, but obviously we do have a job to do here and I just can't wait to get out and play."

The Ferns arrive in Jamaica tomorrow ahead of their two tests next week.