With a broad smile, Rosa Fernig (24) got back on the Oranje Training Field this week. After a summer without a tournament, the Bossche defender enjoys her return to the selection, determined to do everything she can to never miss another tournament.
After the first training block on Monday morning, with a warm autumn sun over the field, Fernig of the stands talks about her new energy. About her move to Amsterdam and the joy to be back with the group. “I am not new, I have known everyone for three years,” she says laughing. Yet she felt light nerves on the bike this morning. “I am happy to be back. It was really bad when I heard that I was not allowed to go to the European championships. ‘
The agile defender Van den Bosch would rather not talk about that moment. But she understands better than anyone else that setbacks are part of the game. Since her transfer from the Dutch junior team (where she became world champion as a captain in April 2022), she has not played a tournament with the Dutch team. In retrospect, she understands that she was not ready for the next step during the European Championships 2023. She has since also learned to appreciate her reserve role at the Olympic Games in Paris. But missing the European championships of last summer still hurts.
Pink Fernig. Photo: Willem Vernes
‘It was really a shame for myself’
National coach Raoul Ehren did not dare to accept her. She struggled her second half of the season with injuries and although she was medical fit for the tournament in the summer, The national coach wondered If she could play five games in eight days. “I had hoped that I could go,” Fernig told me. ‘I have actually worked on it in recent years. And hoped that I could take the step to play a tournament once. So it was really a shame. It was cool and shitty. ‘
When the selection of the European Championship was shared in the Orange Group app and Fernig did not see her name on it, she made other plans. She enjoyed her time with her family in Hungary and was the nicest aunt of her one -year -old cousin. ‘It was nice to get away completely. Needed to take a distance. The TV was hardly on either. ‘
Whether she agreed with the choice of the national coach or not, she knows that the struggles did not help in the second half of the season. Fernig injured her ankle and suffered tendonitis. “It was harder than I thought before. Many people said it was a difficult injury, which turned out to be true. ‘
From zero to a hundred
So she missed the EHL gold in her home club and looked from the sidelines to Oosterplas for months. Until the play -offs, where she was even a goal in the national final against SCHC. “I went from zero to a hundred. But I wanted to compete. Whatever happens. But that is why there was no structure in my loading capacity. Moreover, the Pro League came immediately afterwards. That was not very ideal, “she looks back. “But I wouldn’t have done it in a different way.”
Rosa Fernig after her goal in the national final. Photo: Willem Vernes
Fernig received a statement in a personal conversation with the national coach. Moreover, she knew that she was immediately welcome in the Orange Training Group after the EC. ‘I immediately felt the motivation and urge to prove that I could still get something out of it. It is also positive, he could not have said it, “she says. Raoul told me what he thought of me, how I did it, what could be different and better. Only small points for improvement. Defensive and fitness in general. ‘Laughs:’ I like to attack, but then I should not forget my defensive job.
Fernig debuted as a fourteen-year-old Brat-nota Bene Under Ehren-with Den Bosch. She went through all youth selections without any problems and as a captain at the Dutch junior team she took the World Cup gold. Everything always went smoothly for her. But with the big national team, her real breakthrough is still away for a while. Mentally it is difficult, but it makes you stronger, “says Fernig. “One day playing a tournament would really feel a reward for me.”
Mentally it is difficult, but that makes you stronger. ‘One day playing a tournament would really feel a reward for me.
How will she ensure that she will never miss a tournament again? A grin appears on the face of the Brabant. ‘I have to use my qualities that I have. And keep faith in that. Work on the points I need to get better. And on my taxability. Of course I was injured more than once in the past. I just have to stop missing so much. Become more stable. Make the foundation better and solider, “she said.
Photo: Willem Vernes
Falling and error in Orange
But above all? ‘Maybe it sounds crazy, but I really enjoyed stepping on my bike this morning. I hoped I would feel that way. I want to get better, but I also want to continue to enjoy, “she says. “That is really in my character. I better do something else if I no longer enjoy it. ‘
The World Cup is waiting in 10 months and Fernig is looking forward to it with confidence. ‘I want to be able to look in the mirror at the end of the day and say: I gave everything. The result can be good or bad, but I want to be proud of how I developed. I had that feeling last summer and now I know that I learn from it if something is not going as I had planned. Falling and error is part of my path in Orange.‘
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