Catherine Hall’s remarkable Commonwealth Games comeback has ended in heartbreak, with confirmation the young defender has suffered a serious knee injury, ruling her out of the tournament.
The national body said the 22-year-old was now under the care of Netball New Zealand’s medical team and had begun planning her rehabilitation.
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua said the team was “absolutely gutted” for Hall.
“She’s worked incredibly hard to get herself here and to have this happen is really tough,” Taurua said.
“She’s a massive part of our team and we’ll wrap around her and make sure she has everything she needs as she works through the next steps.”
Hall will remain with the Silver Ferns for the remainder of the Commonwealth Games campaign.
The injury is another cruel setback for Hall, who underwent foot surgery in May and faced a race against time to prove her fitness for the Games.
The Mystics star was named in the Silver Ferns squad, subject to receiving medical clearance and was only confirmed in the final 12 days before the start of the competition.
After sitting out the opening two games of the tournament, Hall returned to the court for the Ferns’ third round pool match against Uganda, before suffering the knee injury against Wales on Thursday.
The latest setback is expected to sideline the exciting young defender for an extended period.
The injury leaves the Silver Ferns with just 11 available players for Saturday night’s semi-final against England and Sunday’s medal matches, with teams unable to call in injury replacements once the tournament begins.