The star Australian defender Mo'onia Gerrard has been ruled out of the five netball tests against New Zealand with an ankle injury.
Gerrard suffered the injury while playing for the Adelaide Thunderbirds before the trans-Tasman preliminary final and is to now undergo surgery.
The loss of Gerrard is a further blow to the Australian defence, which is also without Bianca Chatfield and Laura Geitz through injury.
