Gordon makes position clear

Maddy Gordon puts her selection into the Silver Ferns’ World Cup squad down to being able to stick to one position in the ANZ Premiership this season.

The 22-year-old, who also has the ability to play wing defence and wing attack, beat out some stiff competition to make it into Dame Noeline Taurua’s squad for the World Cup in South Africa, from July 28 to August 6.

Having missed out on the Silver Ferns squad for the Quad Series in Cape Town in January, Gordon would have been regarded as an outsider back then to make the World Cup.

However, focusing on one position during the premiership enabled Gordon to take her game to a new level. She joins Grace Nweke, Maia Wilson, Whitney Souness, Kate Heffernan and Kelly Jury as the other players in the squad who’ll be making their first appearance at a World Cup.

‘‘I loved the group we had at the Pulse under Yvette Mccausland-durie,’’ Gordon said. ‘‘I think we had a really good year, it was really cool to be able to play centre this year and stick to It, which helped me grow confidence in that role and play like I could.’’

Gordon made her debut for the Silver Ferns against Australia in March 2021. That achieved a lifetime’s ambition of representing New Zealand for her, but she says it will mean a lot to her to now go to a World Cup.

‘‘When I was a young girl playing netball my ultimate goal was to make the Silver Ferns,’’ she said.

‘‘Then watching the 2019 World Cup and seeing the girls win, that was another aspect of it