Former Silver Ferns shooter Bailey Mes is stepping away from netball at all levels.
Mes, 33, will play her final game for Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic on Sunday, before hanging up her bib for good, bringing the curtain down on a career that has featured 76 tests for New Zealand.
The 2019 world champion says she's achieved all she wants on the netball court and is "at peace" with her decision to retire, after recent injury-plagued seasons.
“I know that now is the right time for me," she said. "I'm happy with how I’m playing and have been enjoying my netball this year immensely, but it has been hard over the past few seasons with injuries and I know my body has reached its limits.
"It is going to be hard to walk away from the high performance environment, because I truly love the game, but I'm also ready for the next chapter and I’m excited about what the future holds away from the netball court."
A goal attack, goal shoot and wing attack at international level, Mes was a Silver Ferns bolter in 2012, when she made her debut against South Africa, before a serious knee injury stymied her progress a year later.
She was selected for the Netball World Cup campaign in 2015, where she helped the side to a silver medal and after a resurgence in her game in 2019, was again named to compete for a world title.
Mes was a part of the Silver Ferns side that won gold at Liverpool and also bronze at last year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua is incredibly proud of Mes and what she has overcome to achieve her goals.
"I don’t think anyone can underestimate the work that Bailey has put in behind the scenes to manage injuries in recent years and continue to play at the level she has," said Dame Noeline.
"She is an incredibly hardworking athlete, who has given her all for the black dress, and I respect her decision to finish her career when the timing is right for her, while she is also playing some of her best netball that she is well known and admired for.
"Bailey will be remembered as a shooter who had an incredible standing jump, was very aerial with her play and could pull off something special in the circle."
After relocating to Auckland, Mes will resume her role with Sky TV as a sport imagery editor.
