New Zealand's Maria Folau retires from international and domestic netball
Tuesday 17 December 2019 14:41, UK
Maria Folau has announced her retirement from all forms of netball after a 14-year international career with New Zealand.
The shooter retires with 150 caps to her name - only Laura Langman has made more appearances for the Silver Ferns.
Folau made her debut in the black dress as an 18-year-old and now hangs it up with an impressive list of achievements.
She was part of four Netball World Cup campaigns, achieving gold in Liverpool this year, and was instrumental in three silver-medal campaigns beforehand.
The 32-year-old also gained two golds and a silver at the Commonwealth Games and will be remembered for calmly slotting the winning goal in the sudden-death extra-time decider in Delhi in 2010.
"There is something special about watching Maria seamlessly land those long-range goals from any point in the shooting circle without a furrowed brow," said Noeline Taurua, the Silver Ferns' head coach.
"You cannot consistently shoot like that, unless you are dedicated and committed to your craft. She will be long remembered for what she has brought to the game, and we will dearly miss her."
Domestically Folau spent eight years with Northern Mystics before taking to court for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Suncorp Super Netball competition.
The latter part of her career has been played out with the conduct of her husband Israel in the spotlight, and she has been criticised for supporting him with his legal battle with Rugby Australia.
"I think over the last couple of years she has gone quiet in regards to the whole social media thing and what's been happening privately," Taurua said to Radio Sport's D'Arcy Waldegrave.
"She has really shied away in media not only when she's been away from the Silver Ferns but also within the mix as well.
"We've respected her for that, I'm really glad that she's actually done a media release. It's actually a positive because if she had her own way, she'll just go off into the sunset. That's a start and hopefully we can get her back in and pay tribute to her in the near future."
Sky Sports is your home of netball and live action returns with the Vitality Nations Cup in January 2020. The four-nation competition starts on January 19 with England taking on the world champions New Zealand.
