Team management today confirmed Tutaia would take no part in the upcoming test series against Australia and England after succumbing to a foot injury. The 27-year-old ruptured her plantar fascia ligament in her left foot ahead of the July Commonwealth Games, but played through the painful injury at the tournament.
She was put on a strict rehabilitation programme when she returned from Glasgow, but medical staff this week decided Tutaia had not progressed enough with her recovery to be an option for either the four-test series against Australia, beginning early next month, or the two matches against England in late October.
"It's something that has been on-going since Commonwealth Games and I was hoping things would come right for this camp, but it hasn't," said Tutaia.
"It's pretty painful, it's like walking on glass sometimes. The only thing that can really fix it is rest, so it is a bit frustrating but I need to make sure I'm right for next year." The loss of Tutaia -- now the Ferns most-capped shooter following the retirement of Irene van Dyk -- is a major blow to the Ferns as they look to bounce back from their dreadful 18-goal loss to the Australia in the Commonwealth Games final.
The reviews from the Glasgow tournament highlighted the shooting circle as a key area needing improvement if the Kiwi side are to make up ground on their rivals. The upcoming international series loomed as an important opportunity to develop combinations and build links with the attacking end ahead of next year's World Cup in Sydney. With Tutaia out, the Ferns will be missing a key piece of their attacking puzzle, but New Zealand coach Waimarama Taumaunu said introducing a new player to the mix will help build depth.
"Sometimes when things like this happen you wind up doing things that you otherwise wouldn't choose to do. We have to grow depth in that area, the injuries at Commonwealth Games showed that, is this is going to make us do that," said Taumaunu.
"Whilst it is with trepidation that I would pick a team without Maria, we have no choice but to and I think in the end we will come out stronger." Tutaia's former Mystics teammate Bailey Mes is tipped as her likely replacement in the test line-up, with Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Australian-born shooter Ameliaranne Wells the only other options. Queensland-based Wells, who is eligible to represent New Zealand through her Kiwi father, was a shock inclusion at this week's trials in Auckland, with selectors whisking her into the programme just two weeks after she signed on to play for the Central Pulse next season.
With the country's shooting stocks limited, Wells could yet find herself a fully-fledged member of the Silver Ferns squad by the end of the week.
By Dana Johannsen of the New Zealand Herald
