Twelve minutes. It’s a timeframe Ainsleyana Puleiata can never wipe from her memory. Just 12 minutes was all it took to send the promising sports star into a downward spiral. A career-challenging moment the now 20-year-old breaks into tears recalling. A thrilling young talent from Porirua, excelling in both netball and rugby, Puleiata had just pushed herself through a nine-month comeback from knee surgery, and this was her first real netball game back. It was early last year, a pre-season match in Auckland with her champion Central Manawa side. A game of little importance. “I remember thinking, ‘Okay I’m the starting wing attack, I’ve worked really hard to get here’,” Puleiata says. On court she forgot about her left knee - no painful twinges; no hesitancy. Twelve uneventful minutes into the game, Puleiata took a ball in the air and landed in the left-hand pocket of the court. As she put a perfectly weighted lob into her shooter, her rebuilt knee “just caved in”. Crumpled on the ground, her only thought was: “Please don’t let it be the ACL”. Click the link to read more.
