At 38, former Rebel Harrison has still got it

She is partying like it’s 2002 — but the body does not recover as quickly as it did in her student days.

Anna Harrison is revelling in her third (fourth?) phase as a top-level netballer and, while the clock is ticking, she is making the most of these twilight days.

The wiry defender is 38 now, but still looks and plays largely like the 19-year-old Anna Scarlett who made waves when she debuted for the Otago Rebels in 2002 and almost immediately made the Silver Ferns.

Retirement — technically, she has hung up the bib twice before — looms, but she has been too busy maintaining her levels of excellence and fitness with the Northern Stars to contemplate netball ending for good.

“It’s a really difficult decision,” Harrison said after Saturday’s game against the Southern Steel in Dunedin.

“Honestly, my focus has just been on performing for this season, but I am really aware that the end of the season is coming up and I need to start making decisions.

“It takes up mental space, those decisions, so I have been pushing it to the back of my mind.

“I’m loving being back. Part of me wants to keep going but part of me is not sure.”

Harrison returned to the court this season, her legacy secure after 88 tests for the Silver Ferns, two Commonwealth Games gold medals and a world title.

The mother of children aged 7, 6 and nearly 2 last month responded to talk she might be in line for a test netball return, indicating she was not planning to get back in a black dress.

She said the older, wiser Harrison was more calculated about what she did on court, saving the biggest bursts of energy for the right time.

“I don’t chase as much, but that comes with experience, right?

“It’s always been a game about space for me, and you just get smarter.”

West Coast-raised Harrison came to Dunedin in 2001, playing club netball for Phys Ed before her meteoric rise in the national league.

She cut her teeth with the Rebels under legendary coach Lois Muir, and was delighted to see the great dame at Saturday’s game.

“I looked for her before the game started and it was so nice to catch up afterwards.

“She was a massive part of how my career started and how I play.”

Harrison missed the early success of the Rebels but had some memorable moments with the team.

“They were great days. Some of my best friends are still those girls from the Rebels.”

Harrison’s Stars lead the ANZ Premiership but the defender, who has always set high standards, will not be satisfied unless the season ends in success.

“There hasn’t been a perfect performance yet where every section of the court is firing at the same time.

“But that’s a positive. Once we get everything ticking, watch out.”

- By Hayden Meikle