Season ending injury for Silvermoon Tactix netball captain Jess Maclennan

A serious knee injury to Silvermoon Tactix Captain Jess Maclennan (nee Moulds) has prematurely ended her 2018 ANZ Premiership Netball season.

The 28-year-old defender suffered serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage to her right knee playing for the Silvermoon Tactix against the Central Pulse on Monday 14 May.

This is the third serious injury for Maclennan, having ruptured her left anterior cruciate ligament while captaining New Zealand A against England in a practice match in August 2016, and suffering a serious Achilles tendon injury playing for the Tactix in 2014.

Maclennan said “I am gutted that my season has come to an end this way, as I have worked so hard to rehab myself back to be fitter and stronger than ever before. However, sport comes with many challenges and injuries are part and parcel of what we do.”

“I can honestly say that the injuries and disappointment I have faced have made me so resilient and I will be working hard to get myself back out on court as quickly as possible.”

The Silvermoon Tactix have started 2018 in winning style and Maclennan speaks highly of the environment and culture of the franchise.

“I absolutely love leading this Silvermoon Tactix side. We have a great thing going on down here in the Mainland and this team is something special! I will continue to contribute off the court and do whatever it takes to help this team achieve what I know they are capable of. I am truly grateful for the love and support of the Mainland family.”

Silvermoon Tactix Head Coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek said “We are absolutely devastated that Jess will not be running out on the court again this season. She is an amazing leader, person and player who I am sure will continue to be part of our team in some way going forward. Jess is obviously a difficult player to replace so we will take our time to do this, along with how we cover the captaincy duties.”

The Silvermoon Tactix next game is on 23 May, against the Northern Stars at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch.