Australian Diamonds captain Natalie von Bertouch will return to Adelaide
immediately to recover from a stress-rated foot injury and will not take
part in the 2011 Holden Netball Test Series.
Von Bertouch, suffering a stress reaction to a sesamoid bone in her
foot, made the difficult decision to withdraw from the tour in
conjunction with the Diamonds medical staff and coach Lisa Alexander.
"Obviously I'm totally shattered; I didn't think it was going to come to
this point," von Bertouch said.
"I'm hugely disappointed; the first chance after World Championships and
first time as captain on home soil and against New Zealand - and of
course I miss out on playing in the Adelaide Test which is particularly
hard to cope with.
"It's been a tough day and a very hard decision to make but this group
of girls is fantastic and more than capable of defeating New Zealand.
"I'll be missing them a lot and will be wishing I was there alongside
them but these things happen and I've got to try and deal with it as
best I can."
The Diamonds captain was initially ruled out of the series against
England, however a slower than expected recovery will see her remain in
the cam walker boot for another couple of weeks while reducing her
training load to ensure her recovery ahead of next year's ANZ
Championship.
Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander said it was a difficult but correct
decision for the welfare of von Bertouch.
"The decision was made with a firm eye on her wellbeing in an overall
sense. It's important that we look after her now to ensure that she's
ready to go next year."
Melbourne Vixen's Madison Browne will remain in the Diamonds team for
the New Zealand series while Catherine Cox will retain the captaincy.
The Australian Diamonds are in Canberra for the second-Test of the 2011
Holden Netball Test Series when they take on England at AIS Arena on
Wednesday night, limited tickets are still available through Ticketek.
2011 Holden Netball Test Series Dates:
9 Oct - Australian Diamonds (62) def England (47), Newcastle
Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
12 Oct - Australian Diamonds v England, AIS Arena, Canberra
16 Oct - Australian Diamonds v England, Allphones Arena, Sydney
23 Oct - Australian Diamonds v New Zealand Silver Ferns, Burswood Dome,
Perth
26 Oct - Australian Diamonds v New Zealand Silver Ferns, Adelaide
Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
30 Oct - Australian Diamonds v New Zealand Silver Ferns, Hisense Arena,
Melbourne.
