'Like riding a bike': Casey Kopua makes return to elite-level netball
Former Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua said she "absolutely loved every minute" of her first appearance six years on from retiring from elite-level netball.
The 39-year-old netball legend was signed as injury cover for the Greater Western Sydney Giants who play in the Australian Super Netball league.
Kopua filled in for Jodi-Ann Ward, who tore her ACL in a recent loss to the West Coast Fever.
Kopua had initially retired from the Silver Ferns in 2017 following several knee injuries and the birth of her first child, but the star returned to the black dress in 2019.
She finished her career as a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and as a Netball World Cup champion in 2019.
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The team lost 71-61 to the Melbourne Vixen but Kopua said she "absolutely loved every minute".
"I feel like my lungs at patches were heaving. But it's just like riding a bike, if you put a ball in front of me, I'll go and go and go.
"It's definitely a lot faster [in Australia] but I feel like you can get away with a bit more in the circle.
"I definitely think for me it's my mind and being able to concentrate and focus those channels again, but I can only go up from here hopefully."
Kopua was signed on for three weeks with an extension possible.
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