Katrina Rore has broken her silence, speaking publicly for the first time since her shock axing from the Silver Ferns.
The former skipper's told Newshub she's fitter than ever and hasn't given up on representing New Zealand at this year's Netball World Cup.
- Laura Langman named Silver Ferns captain
- Casey Kopua recalled into Quad Series squad
- Noeline Taurua takes axe to Quad Series squad
Netball was hard on Rore in 2018 - she was the face of the Commonwealth Games debacle, before losing the captaincy and then her place in the Silver Ferns for the first time in a decade.
"Yea I'm going to be totally honest it was tough. I don't know, it's what you've always known," Rore told Newshub.
Despite the pain, Rore wants back in Noeline Taurua's team and she'll state her case on the court in the upcoming ANZ Premiership.
"You know this is me, this is what I've got. If they like it, they like it, if they don't I'm at an age where I probably can't change too much," she noted.
However, the reigning ANZ Premiership player of the year believes she's fitter than she's ever been thanks to a first full offseason with the Pulse.
Rore's been told by the Ferns selectors where she needs to improve if she's to make the World Cup
"Yea I just need to probably work on my consistency, get a few more intercepts here and there in tough games and make sure I can make an impact where I need to."
Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie is backing Rore to reclaim her black dress.
"She is such a professional athlete. I just have a lot of admiration for the way which she has come back into our environment and continued to add value," McCausland-Durie told Newshub.
And Rore's team-mates have seen first-hand how much work she's been putting in.
"You know she's extremely resilient and she's been training so hard as she always does so I don't even know how she takes it up another level," said Ferns shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio.
The Pulse are hoping to help their skipper return to the Silver Ferns and make 2019 a year to savour.
Newshub.
