Silver Ferns sharpshooter Maria Tutaia is confident of a return to the side for their crucial third Constellation Cup Test match against Australia on Saturday night but maintains that they still have the talent to win it without her.
The Silver Ferns pulled off a stunning win against the Diamonds in Launceston on Wednesday night, and the 29-year-old said she was hopeful she would rejoin the side to help them win what would be just their second ever Constellation Cup.
“Tomorrow I’ve got my last assessment and we’ll see how that goes and then the medical staff will make a decision whether I am clear to play this Saturday, so fingers crossed that that will be the case,” said Tutaia after arriving back into the country on Thursday night.
“I was feeling quite confident the last game as well but I’ve got to be really mindful because the severity of my injury was huge.”
Whilst Tutaia was hopeful of a return, she said that she was more than impressed with the talent coming through at international level.
“It’s really promising and it’s really nice to see the depth of shooters coming in the Silver Ferns. I’m just there as a helping hand and just supporting them as much as I can.”
Tutaia was cautious not to be too over-confident about their chances of toppling Australia in Auckland, warning of their world class talent and their typically strong responses after losing.
“The true test is going to be on Saturday.
“We all know what the Aussies are like after a loss so what we do from today until Saturday is going to be a true testament of our character and, if Te Paea [Selby Rickit] does get that test, how she really shows herself out there. I’m very confident that she’ll do well.”
The third Test between the Silver Ferns and the Diamonds is at Vector Arena on Saturday night, the series capped with a fourth in Invercargill on October 20th.
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