Shooter Ellie Bird's temporary replacement player status with the Mainland Tactix has now become permanent.
Bird will remain with the undefeated Christchurch-based ANZ Premiership leaders after goal shoot Aliyah Dunn required surgery on a serious knee injury, ruling her out of the game for 4-6 months.
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The Tactix had previously announced Dunn's pre-season knee injury on April 10, ruling her out of the first two rounds of the competition, before confirming her surgery on Monday, hours before the team's 62-59 win over the Northern Mystics in Auckland.
Bird, who retired from netball last year, has played in all three matches this season, converting 91.7 percent (122-of-133) of her shot attempts, second only to the Northern Stars' Summer Temu.
The 31-year-old played her 100th national league match in the Tactix's season-opening 52-35 win over the Southern Steel, having played 85 times for the Tactix and 15 matches for the Lees Rhinos in the Netball Super League.
The Tactix face the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic at Hamilton's Globox Arena on Monday night (first-pass 7.30pm).