On The Up: Casey Kopua reunites with former Silver Ferns for Game On TV series
Former netball stars Daneka Tuineau (from left), Adine Wilson, Linda Vagana, Temepara Bailey, Casey Kopua, Irene Van Dyk and Joline Henry appear in Game On, returning for a high-stakes tournament to prove they've still got it.
Netball legends are set to make a return to TV screens around New Zealand.
In a new series, Game On, former Silver Ferns will be joined by six promising athletes on a 12-week journey to get netball-fit, battling top teams in a high-stakes tournament.
Casey Kopua, the former captain of the Silver Ferns and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, appears in the new series.
Kopua captained the Magic from 2014 to 2019, before retiring in 2019 after 17 seasons and more than 186 matches for the team.
She has just come out of retirement, signing as injury cover for the Greater Western Sydney Giants, who play in the Australian Super Netball league.
Kopua said being a part of the Game On series was “a different opportunity”.
“I guess I did it to put myself back out there to feel vulnerable and exposed again.”
She told the Bay of Plenty Times it was another opportunity to play the sport she loved with her closest friends again.
Prominent New Zealand netball coaches Yvonne Willering and Yvette McCausland-Durie called some of the sport’s greatest and beloved netball stars out of retirement.
Irene Van Dyk, Temepara Bailey, Adine Wilson, Joline Henry, Daneka Tuineau, Joline Henry and Linda Vagana joined Kopua on a journey of mentorship and transformation.
“Coming back was a bit like riding a bike, but the bike was pretty wobbly,” Kopua said.
She said getting back together on court with her mates was “priceless”.
“We had moments where all of us were like, wow, we’re actually still all right.”
She said the moments where they could just have a chat, have a hug and a cup of tea were special.
“I’ve spent a lot of my life with those girls and those moments are priceless, especially when we get out there on the court.”
The former Ferns had to undertake fitness tests, pushing both older and younger bodies to the limit.
Kopua said the hardest part of the series and getting back into the game was the difference in her body.
“I’m a realist and I know that I’m not what I used to be, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t go hard.”
She said she wasn’t there to size up her body, but realised at 40 years old, she still loved the game of netball.
“My knees are bone on bone, awaiting knee replacements, but when I look past that and there’s a ball involved, you sort of forget about all that and just get on with it.”
Kopua said it was about inspiring other women.
“If they wish to go and achieve a goal, then go for it; nothing can stop you from doing that.”
As both a player and mentor in the show, Kopua said “you just never know what’s around the corner”.
“Netball isn’t just about winning and losing, it’s actually about your friends, the coaches and managers and the people you meet along the way.”
She said everybody was on a different journey in Game On but heading for the same goal.
“Which is hopefully to get more girls playing netball.”
Game On premieres on Three and ThreeNow on July 15.
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.