Less than two years after wondering if she would even manage to stay in the national league, Adelaide Thunderbirds' Kristen Heinrich capped a dizzying rise by being added to the Australian netball squad for the three test tour of New Zealand.
Heinrich was added to the squad of 12 to give Sydney Swifts shooter Catherine Cox extra time to recover from the ankle injury she suffered last Friday.
Cox was today diagnosed with a torn lateral ligament in her right ankle.
Australian coach Norma Plummer said Cox would not fly out with the team on Sunday and would miss the opening test on June 30, but a decision would be made probably the day before about whether she would be flown out for the other two matches.
"Her recovery up-to-date has been excellent. What we are doing is letting them keep her here for a few days and on Monday or Tuesday a decision will be made if she can come over and be a part of the second Test (on July 2)," Plummer said.
With just two other shooters, Sharelle McMahon and Cynna Neele in her squad, Plummer called 24-year-old Heinrich up to the open squad for the first time.
Heinrich, Cox's Sydney teammate Jane Altschwager and AIS Canberra captain Susan Pratley were all invited by Plummer to play in last weekend's practice matches against England in Melbourne.
Of the three, only Altschwager had represented Australia at senior level before, but Plummer said she was underdone after recently returning from ankle surgery.
Plummer thought 20-year-old Pratley did quite well against more senior players, but ultimately plumped for Heinrich, who has improved dramatically this year.
The second highest goalscorer in the national league, Heinrich has lifted her shooting percentage this year to 82 percent from her career mark of 72 at the end of last year.
"Kristen has now been on national league courts since practically the start of the competition and she's currently sitting behind Cox as the shooter with the most attempts on an 82 percent average, which is pretty good, so they are the things that put her in," Plummer said.
Heinrich said she had never given any thought to playing for Australia this season until she was called up last weekend.
"I wouldn't have even thought I would have been considered," Heinrich said tonight.
She thought her national league career had been cut short after the 2002 national league season when her Adelaide Ravens team was axed from the competition.
"I didn't think I was going to be playing for the Thunderbirds and I thought I would be playing in the state league," Heinrich said.
