Young Pulse Shooter Thriving After Surprise Call-up

Following a short introduction, willowy Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse shooter Martina Salmon has marked her comeback year to netball with a string of standout performances in the ANZ Premiership.

Happy to just be settling back into netball this season with Central Manawa in the National Netball League (NNL), Salmon, 20, has instead enjoyed the most unexpected of rides, and is flourishing.

During her time with Manawa, Salmon also added cover for the Steel in two games before gaining a full contract with the Pulse after Khiarna Williams became their third shooter to be struck down by injury.

It’s all happened in a flash but Salmon, who is averaging an 88 percent success rate across the five games she’s played for the Pulse, has merged into the elite level with seamless ease.

``I have no words, really, to describe what’s happened,’’ she said. ``Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be where I’m at now and just grateful for the opportunity that I’ve been given by the Pulse and I’m loving it.

``After our latest game (Tactix), I feel like my nerves have settled now, that I’ve found my feet, found my confidence and I’m all good.’’

Born in Auckland but Brisbane-raised since she was two, the 1.9m shooter came through the Australian system where she went on to make the Australian U21 squad and was a training partner for the Sunshine Coast Lightning in the Australian Super League.

But there’s always been a pull to New Zealand which prompted a stint as a training partner with the Magic in 2022 as an 18-year-old.

``Despite moving to Australia at such a young age, I always knew that I was Kiwi and New Zealand-born, so that was always in me and nah, I never felt like an Aussie. I feel like I was always meant to be here, back at home in New Zealand,’’ she said

``I feel like I belong here, this is where I’m meant to be and it means more to me than how it was back in Aussie. So, I’m just grateful.’’

With life, in general, having an impact on her health, Salmon took last year off and in the interim married Porirua local, Klein Salmon, a former national league basketballer and now rugby player. She now calls Porirua home and life couldn’t be better.

``I was struggling a lot mentally, so putting myself first was massive for me last year,’’ she said. ``Just taking time out to focus on myself, put my mental health first. Putting yourself first is so important and once your mental side is right, everything else will come.

``I feel like this year, coming back, being mentally strong now has helped me big time to be where I’m at now.

``It was all pretty much a bit of everything. I love netball, so stepping away was massive for me but I felt like it was more just outside of netball, life stuff, and I’m just happy that I’ve got all of that pretty much together now, so I’m able to focus on netball fully and feel mentally strong.’’

Salmon has become the only shooter this season to post 50-plus goals in a match twice, the most recent coming in the extra-time loss to the Tactix in the last round. The quality of opposition highlighted Salmon’s growing smarts where she was a dominant figure for the Pulse with a personal haul of 50 goals from 55 attempts against the crack defensive pairing of Karin Burger and Jane Watson.

``For that game, I really changed my mentality around my shooting and my game play,’’ she said.

``The last couple of games I had been a little bit nervous but going into the Tactix game, I just had that full confidence in myself of, `I’m just as good, I am confident, I wasn’t going to let anyone step on my toes and that I need to own the circle’.

``That’s what I felt going into that game and it was great, from the first quarter when the whistle went, to my first shot until my last shot, and it was so good that I was able to take on the body, especially against some Silver Ferns defenders, and I was really proud of myself.’’

Starting with the Stars in Porirua on Sunday, the Pulse are moving into the final phase of the season where they will face each opponent for a third time, Salmon relishing the opportunity to play in her new backyard.

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