Goaler’s rise to international debut

By Stephanie Smarrelli 
 

For Nalani Makunde the only way is up. 

Hailing from Canberra the promising goaler made the move to Queensland to chase her netball dreams, before making her international debut at last year’s Netball World Cup. 

A truly unique feat for the 25-year-old whose netball trajectory has been anything but ordinary. 
 

REPRESENTING ZIMBABWE 

Playing in a Netball World Cup is a goal many netballers dream of achieving but only a handful ever will. 

Competing for Zimbabwe was a dream Makunde didn't believe was possible at the start of 2022 but with the support of her family she was able to turn that dream into a reality. 

The Zimbabwe Gems first qualified for a Netball World Cup in 2019 and with 2023 on the horizon Makunde had nothing to lose but everything to gain. 

Excited by the prospect of representing her family's heritage, she didn't get her hopes up too much, unsure if playing for the Gems was a realistic goal. 

"Before the 2019 World Cup the team hadn't qualified before, I never thought it would ever be a possibility to represent Zimbabwe but then they qualified,” she said. 

“In 2022, I was at a point in netball and life where I realised there was a possibility if Zimbabwe were going for 2023.  I decided to reach out and see if it was possible to represent them and find out what I needed to do to make it happen.” 

What took place next were countless calls back and forth with Zimbabwe. Makunde's parents played a huge role given they were based in Canberra and could make regular trips to the Zimbabwe Embassy to get everything sorted.  

Her father James took the talks another step further using a planned trip back home to Zimbabwe to see his family to also spend time meeting the Gems. 

“My dad went back to Zimbabwe to visit family in 2022 and he met the team and spoke to people who were involved in Netball Zimbabwe,” she said. 

“I wasn't there, but Dad helped them see we were legit, and there was a person attached to all the messages we'd been sending.” 

Following her father's visit, Makunde sent across some headshots and videos of her playing netball and then it was a waiting game to find out if she would hear back. 

“It was hard to know what they were thinking, they'd never seen me play in real life. I didn't know if I'd make it or not,” she said. 

But make it she did, the goaler finding out via social media. 

“I was checking my phone after training and saw the post. I started calling my mum trying to find out if she had seen it,” she said. 

Having been an integral part of her journey to selection, Makunde's parents made the trip with her to Zimbabwe for training camp and then South Africa for the Netball World Cup. 

"I honestly don't know if I would have made it through the week and the training camps without them,” she said.  

 “To watch the games back and see them on camera hugging after I'd scored a goal is really special.” 

Makunde made her international debut against Australia, making it even more memorable. 

“Playing against the Origin Diamonds gave me confidence as a player. They're just humans as well and we may have been losing by a lot but to score a goal against the likes of Courtney Bruce and Sarah Klau gave me confidence. I am capable enough to play against the world's best,” she said. 

She hasn't forgotten where she calls home though with her heart still with her Capital Darters teammates who she will line up alongside for her third Australian Netball Championships this August.  

LIFE IN QUEENSLAND  

Her netball journey has been an interesting one, and one which required a huge move... to an entirely new state. 

The goaler made the decision to move to Queensland three years ago to take her game to the next level and improve her chances of one day making an SSN team. 

With no SSN team in Canberra, she touched on the challenge many of her hometown Darters teammates face. 

“The pathway kind of stops at ANC level for a lot of the smaller states because there's no Suncorp Super Netball teams in your state so you have to move,” she said. 

"Coming back from the World Cup and then playing ANCs about two weeks later, it really stood out to me that there's so much talent in this country.  

“Australians are bloody good at netball and we're all itching for more and more opportunities because there's so many players who are capable enough to step up if given the chance.” 

Earlier this year, Makunde's move to Queensland paid off with the goaler selected as part of the Firebirds Futures squad for the SSN Reserves competition.  

She was invited to train with some of the Firebirds training partners and believed she was there to make up the numbers, still unaware of the Reserves competition's existence before being told she'd been training to form the Futures team. 

“At one of those sessions they asked me to try on some uniform and then they explained why,” she said. 

“It was cool getting to be involved in Netball Queensland's High Performance Program, to experience playing against different teams and have the Firebirds finishing up in the gym before our training.” 

Her biggest learnings from the Reserves competition were around the two-point shot. She has been playing with it in the Sapphire Series but says it's an area she's still developing. 

“You spend your whole life trying to get closer to the post and then you've got to completely flip and work out how you set yourself up for a long-range shot,” she said. 

ANCs AND THE FUTURE  

Despite her meteoric rise, Makunde hasn’t forgotten where she calls home. 

Her heart, as she says, remains in the nation’s capital. 

“I'm really excited to get back with the group, the Canberra netball community is tight knit it'll be good to play with the girls again,” she said. 

"As a Canberra group the opportunities to play throughout the year as a team we don't have so to play in the Darters at a competition like ANCs is important.” 

Despite her time away, the goaler still cherishes the Canberra community and is looking forward to being part of bringing netball back to the community she says is often starved of it.  

"At home I always have a sense of familiarity and it's one of those cities that really love netball,” she said.  

“They love to come out and support, back in the old ANL days we would draw the biggest crowds, kids would sit on the floor to make more room it's going to be awesome to bring more netball to the community.”  

With her sights set on 2025, Makunde plans to continue building on everything she's learned. 

“A goal of mine is to make Futures again next year and have a successful Sapphire Series season,” she said. 

“It's important for me to also see what opportunities arise with the Darters to stay connected with my home territory and get everyone back together as I love being involved.” 

At the age of 25, she admits she does sometimes wonder if one day she'll be tapped on the shoulder to move on as girls younger than her rise through the ranks but she's optimistic she still has more to give. 

"I worry about at what point people will tell me I'm too old,” she said. 

"All I can do is rock up, keep doing what I do, and hopefully other people see value.”