Kelly not thinking about retirement
Published:Saturday | January 16, 2021 | 7:13 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
National senior netball defender Malysha Kelly says she has no plans to retire from the sport anything soon, as she prepares to suit up for the Seven Stars in this season’s Vitality Netball Superleague in the United Kingdom (UK).
Kelly, who turned 31 on Thursday, will be making her return to the international game after almost four years out with a series of knee injuries.
She told The Gleaner that the Vitality Netball Superleague presents what she describes as a perfect opportunity for her to re-establish herself as one of the top defenders in the world, and also to prove to everyone that she is now fully fit.
“This contract in England is very exciting for me because I’m getting another opportunity to play at this level without even touching the international base,” Kelly said.
“This is something that I want to do and that is why I signed this contract with them because netball is my life,” she said. “I can’t put years on my career because I am not making any plans to retire anytime soon. I am just getting back, so I will just take it a year and a day at a time and then see how it goes and how my body holds up.”
KELLY’S INJURY
Kelly, who will be having her second stint in the league, ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during a training session with her New Zealand-based ANZ Championships club, Southern Steel, in March 2018. She had surgery a month later but suffered a setback four months into her recovery, which led to a second corrective procedure.
She said that she is now fit because she has trained hard for this tournament and the Sunshine Girls’ four-Test series against England, which was postponed recently after the Jamaica Government extended the travel ban on the UK.
“I just want to get back to the top shape that I was in before the injury, but I know that is going to take a lot of effort and time in terms of getting my body to where it once was,” Kelly said. “I was actually at the fittest time in my career before the injury.
“I know what I am capable of doing, so I am looking forward to seeing what this team brings this season and just to add my experience and leadership skills there.”
Kelly previously represented the Manchester Thunder in the Vitality Netball Superleague.