The six defenders fighting for two spots in Silver Ferns Commonwealth Games team
Saturday, 23 May 2026
A foot injury to rising Silver Ferns talent Catherine Hall could shake up Dame Noeline Taurua’s defensive selections for the Commonwealth Games.
Aspiring Ferns have just two more rounds to state their case for the Games before head coach Taurua and fellow selectors Adrianne Hayes, Leigh Gibbs, Jo Morrison, and Gael Nagaiya present their 12 names to the New Zealand Olympic Committee on June 1.
The Ferns squad for Glasgow will be publicly unveiled on June 17, three days after the final round match between the Steel and Tactix in Invercargill, which might decide first place and who hosts the grand final.
Who lines up in the Ferns’ defensive quartet at the tournament might be Taurua’s toughest selection headache.
Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger, who are both shining in their first seasons in Australia’s Super Netball, will be locks and the team’s first-choice defensive pairing.
Six defenders look to be scrapping it out for two precious spots in the squad as the selection countdown looms.
Who takes the final two defensive berths will likely come down to the injured Catherine Hall (Mystics), Carys Stythe (Steel), Parris Mason (Pulse), Phoenix Karaka (Mystics), the uncapped Kate Burley (Stars), and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (Mystics).
Complicating the situation for Taurua is a foot injury to Hall, which will rule her out of the rest of the ANZ Premiership. Hall underwent surgery on Monday and it is uncertain if she will have enough time to be ready by the Ferns’ opening match against Scotland on July 25.
She jarred her foot late in the Mystics’ game against the Pulse on May 9 when she collided into the post.
Hall had been the best performed New Zealand defender in the ANZ Premiership this season, sitting first for deflections (38) and intercepts (18). The 22-year-old debuted for the Ferns last year and illustrated her quality, shining off the bench in wins over Australia in the final two Constellation Cup matches.
Outside the players in the Silver Ferns national and development squads, uncapped Tactix defender Laura Balmer has been the standout performer. The Commonwealth Games appears too soon for her, but Balmer, who moved south from the Pulse this season, has shown she is a name for the future.
“It always has been strong in our midcourt, but defensively it’s very competitive– let’s put it that way,” Taurua told The Post.
“I’m really excited by the new generation of players coming through, but also some of those players that have been involved with the Silver Ferns for a few years [are standing up].”
With just two further rounds for players to stake their claim, Taurua wanted their actions on court to do the talking. The ones who left the less doubt in the selectors’ minds and excelled in the critical moments of games would win out.
“Overall what I really look for on top of [the technical and tactical component and strength and conditioning] it’s probably as simple as this, ‘You get the ball’.
“That’s what defence is about. Get the ball, keep the ball, put the ball through the hoop, but being able to do that time and time again under pressure.”
Taurua confirmed Burger, who captained the Ferns in the Constellation Cup and Northern tour last tour, would continue to slide between goal defence and her secondary position, wing defence, at the Commonwealth Games. Burger and first-choice goal keep Jackson project as the Ferns No. 1 defensive duo, having thrived together in last year’s Constellation Cup and away series win over England.
Ferns veteran Karaka, who has played 70 tests since debuting in 2014, was available for Commonwealth Games selection, Taurua said. Karaka returned to the court for the Mystics this season after missing last year for the birth of son, Pippen. Hall’s injury could pave the way for Karaka to be named.
Taurua did not want to rule anyone out of selection, but it appears Jane Watson, a 2019 Netball World Cup winner and 66-test stalwart, has played her last test.
Watson, 36, has not represented the Ferns since the 2023 Constellation Cup and suffered a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) in her knee and a calf strain for Giants Netball in Australia in early April.
She has not taken the court since, ruining any slim shot she had of forcing her way in – if available for selection. Watson has made herself unavailable for the Ferns in both 2024 and 2025.
ANZ Premiership week 7
Saturday, 4pm: Steel v Magic at Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Saturday, 7pm: Stars v Tactix at Pulman Arena, Auckland
Sunday, 4pm: Mystics v Pulse at Trusts Arena, Auckland
Points: Tactix 15, Steel 15, Mystics 13, Stars 10, Pulse 5, Magic 0.