By Ashlee Tulloch
Aussie basketballer Daryl Corletto bucked the trend last year, coming from Australia to play for the Breakers.
Now, after his championship-winning season, his netballer wife is looking to do the same.
Julie Corletto is set to be defending from the Northern Mystics' corner next season.
“Obviously that’s why you get married, you want to spend your life together and live together so it's good that we're actually living in the same city now,” she says.
They've been travelling back and forth since Daryl moved across the ditch to play for the Breakers last year. But it was a stretch too far and a holiday in Thailand that helped clear the air.
“We had a good chat and I kind of opened up to her and said that I did struggle in the last six weeks of the season last year when she went home,” says Daryl.
“It was kind of lonely – first time I have ever been by myself and it was a good six or seven weeks and that was hard, and once I said that she came back, about 10 minutes later, and said she'll move over.”
The Tasman flights haven't stopped just yet, as Julie prepares to play for Australia against the Silver Ferns in the Constellation Cup next weekend.
“I’m spending a few days over here in-between training camps and then I’ll probably move over definitely in November,” she says.
Tipped to be the next Australian captain, the move could risk her position in the national side. But Julie is hopeful that won’t be the case.
“Obviously I’ll try have a really good season with the Mystics and hopefully I can retain my spot in the Diamonds squad and in the Diamonds team.”
After years of being rivals, some of her Kiwi opposition will now become teammates.
“It'll be a little bit strange,” she says, “always going up against Maria and Cat Latu and that so I guess after the test series it'll be great to actually be in the same team as them.”
And there's no denying she's a force to be reckoned with.
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