Stars Greer Sinclair is injured during the Northern Mystics v Stars ANZ Premiership match at Eventfinda Stadium, in Auckland on May 11th 2025. Photo: Blake Armstrong
The Stars are facing an injury crisis after game one of netball's ANZ Premiership, and another franchise is already having to get creative to cover injuries.
The Mystics beat the Stars 71-55 in Auckland on Sunday but the Stars had to exhaust all their bench options after three players went down injured.
The Stars already had to bring in replacement player Tori Kolose for the first few games to cover the absence of Samon Nathan as she recovers from injury.
Wing defence Greer Sinclair had to be wheeled off in the first quarter, with what looked like a potentially serious knee injury.
Defender Kate Burley then had to come off late in third quarter, with a suspected lower leg injury, then with 90 seconds left in the game Charlie Bell came off after falling to the ground.
The Stars had to do a lot of shuffling, with midcourter Mila Reuelu-Buchanan only able to play 30 minutes in her first game since injuring her knee last year.
Shooter Monica Falkner was used at wing attack during the game and by the end of the match, Stars coach Temepara Bailey had no one left on her bench.
"I looked down and there were all these empty seats.
"You've just got to go, what's next, what's next and I'm just so proud of the girls, they just rolled with the punches, they just took the bib, they knew what they had to do out there and they went out there and did the best they can with also knowing at the back of their mind that one of their best mates, team-mates is sitting there on the sideline," Bailey said.
"It's pretty hard but proud of the girls for the way that they continued."
Bailey said it was a sombre dressing room afterwards, and said with the season being cut from three rounds to two, it made it even harder.
"Obviously some tears and just so disappointed for our injured girls, they've been working so hard and have been playing some of their best netball, to have that in round one and the season is shorter now so if you've got a player that's out, even if it's for four to six weeks, that's half the season gone."
Bailey said it appeared that Bell suffered from calf cramp and rolled her ankle at the same time.
"It is definitely back luck when you have three in one game. We do know that we've got some good players in the wider mix and we'll have to look at some options once we know more about the extent of the injuries."
Former Silver Fern dons bib
Liana Leota warms up. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 www.photosport.nz
In the other match the Tactix beat the Steel 57-50 in Christchurch in the final match of the round on Sunday.
The Steel had their own injuries to deal with, calling in Stars training partner Khanye-Lii Munro-Nonoa as cover in the defensive end.
Silver Fern Kate Heffernan was out after picking up a knee injury earlier in the week during training - it's not known how serious it is.
So assistant Steel coach and former Silver Fern Liana Leota was named on the bench for the southerners. To the delight of the crowd, the 40-year-old spent 10 minutes on court at wing attack for her old club, when she was injected in the third quarter.
Last year Leota stepped down from her role as England Roses technical coach and her position as Leeds Rhinos director of netball to take up the assistant coaching role at the Steel.
Her last season playing domestic netball was in 2022 in the England league.
Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen said they got a heads up on Saturday that Leota might take the court.
"We were extremely shocked actually, we heard that she was on the list but Ellie Bird was coached by her when she played in England and said that she was still playing some great netball," Pedersen said.
"It was cool to see her play. I actually debuted against Liana about 10 or 11 years ago so it was a bit of a full-circle moment. She was the Pulse wing attack and I was the Mystics wing defence so yeah old memories.
"She looks great for 40 and just watching her agility and speed out there she's still got it."
