International stars to keep your eye on

By Stephanie Smarrelli

Abigail Latu-Meafou
Samoa
Goal Attack/Goal Shooter  

For Abigail Latu-Meafou representing her country in the PacificAus Sports Netball Series is an opportunity to put Samoa on the world map.  

“It gives a little bit more exposure to our small country, we’re a fourth world country, a small island,” she said. 

“It’s just a joy, we don’t have that level of funding, the competition provides us with exposure to the world that a little Samoan island like ours exists.” 

Latu-Meafou was inspired to start playing netball by her older sister, living in Sydney she played representative netball before continuing her netball pathway in Queensland through the under 17s, under 19s and under 21s sides.  

Her first big break came in 2016, then around 17 years old, Latu-Meafou went over to New Zealand to play and then she spent time with the Queensland Firebirds before heading to the Adelaide Thunderbirds. From there she spent a year with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in New Zealand before getting a replacement player contract with the Queensland Firebirds, once the contract was up she returned to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic for another year, returning home due to the pandemic and the difficulties associated with that. Since then Latu-Meafou has been playing in the Sapphire Series and now is excited to represent Samoa. 

“I’m excited for the opportunity to play, represent my country my family,” she said. 

On the PacificAus Sports Netball Series, Latu-Meafou was looking forward to the challenges of competing against sides who will be at the Netball World Cup. 

“It’s an awesome opportunity for not just myself but the younger girls to see what it’s like to play on the international stage against great opponents who are going to play at the World Cup.  

“It’s a great challenge for us to hopefully make the next World Cup,” she said. 

Not only does Latu-Meafou believe the series is a good opportunity to gain exposure to World Cup teams but she also highlighted the role it plays in inspiring the next generation. 

“It opens up so many doors not just for the Samoan community but young brown girls that look for their role models in sportspeople,” she said.  

Maria Lutua Rusivakula
Fiji 
Goal Attack/Goal Shooter 

Captain of the Fiji Pearls Maria Lutua Rusivakula is grateful for the PacificAus Sports program and the opportunities it has created and continues to create for her and her teammates.  

“We’ve got a really young squad so for a lot of them the PacificAus Sports program has helped them with their development, their nutrition, with training and getting them exposed to competition,” she said. 

“Back home we don’t have a lot of competition and what PacificAus Sports has done is brought that to our doorstep and we can help the other girls back home with the resources they don’t have access to otherwise.” 

Speaking ahead of the PacificAus Sports Netball Series Rusivakula highlighted the importance of the event and the PacificAus Sports program in the lead up to the Netball World Cup. 

“These are the kind of competitions that we need, quality competition and matches like this massively helps in the preparation for the World Cup. There’s so many teams constantly playing test matches and these types of competitions really helps us. 

“Constant competition and matches helps build the team and the exposure and experience for the girls. The program does really help very much,” she said. 

Thinking about what will potentially be her third Netball World Cup, Rusivakula acknowledged the importance of hard work in the lead up. 

“The standards are always high, every world cup is different. A lot of teams we haven’t seen come up. It is anybody’s game on the day and it comes down to how you work and how you prepare yourself in the lead up,” she said. 

Hailing from Nakama in the province of Macuata, Rusivakula touched on the importance of Fiji’s representation at the PacificAus Sports Series and the Netball World Cup. 

“These events are massive to our community and massive for our young ones back at home. These girls are role models back at home and to represent the country is such an honour. So they put in all the hard yards in the background and work hard to represent the country so it is massive back home,” she said. 

Jane Chimaliro 
Malawi Queens 
Goal Attack 

“We’re here to win,” Malawi Queens captain Jane Chimaliro declared on the eve of the PacificAus Sports Netball Series.  

The 37-year-old who made her international debut for Malawi in 2011 against Australia in Perth confident that her team will perform well at the series in the lead up to this year’s Netball World Cup. 

“I know it will be a battle, each and every team has come here to compete. 

“We know that we’re able to win all the games, we want to make sure we win them all.” 

Most of all Chimaliro is hoping that the Malawi Queens will make their country proud. 

“We just want to make our country proud, we’re here for the battle and we’re going to do everything we can to win the games,” she said. 

Chimaliro first picked up a netball in primary school and continued playing into secondary school before being selected for the national team in 2009.  

She’s now represented Malawi three times at the Commonwealth Games and if selected for this year’s Netball World Cup it will be her third appearance at netball’s illustrious event.  

The goal attack highlighted the importance of the PacificAus Sports Netball Series in the team’s Netball World Cup preparations with the event providing a platform for their up-and-coming players to gain exposure to different teams.  

“We are preparing for the World Cup, we don’t have our experienced professional players with us here but we have new girls to play,” she said. 

“The mix of this new blood with the experienced ones will make us better come the World Cup.” 
 

Hulita Veve 
Tonga 
Centre 

We caught up with Hulita Veve the captain of the reigning PacificAus Sports Netball Series Champions Tonga Tala ahead of the series beginning.  

“It’s really special to have not lost a game in the red dress, so super special and a huge achievement for our country,” Veve said, reflecting on her time playing for Tonga. 

“I joined the group last year in March for the first PacificAus Sports Netball Series event and we’ve been undefeated since so it’s really special.” 

Captain of the reigning champions Tonga Tala, Veve expressed her excitement to be playing for Tonga at the PacificAus Sports Netball Series in front her home crowd in Queensland.  

“Playing with the girls, this is home for me so I’m really excited to play at home in front of my family, all the crowd here and the fans that we have in Queensland,” she said.  

Without the PacificAus Sports Netball Series Veve wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to test her skills against other Pacific nations. 

“Being able to play for my country in games like this and to be able to play the other Pacific nations is really cool and something I’ve never done before. It’s great exposure and development for my game,” she said. 

Reflecting on the last series Veve believes the biggest lesson Tonga took away from it was being able to adapt quickly to different scenarios and styles of play.  

“Last series we played an Australian team so that gave us a different style to play against so we’ll learn from that and going into this one playing African teams being able to adapt quickly is something that we’ll need to keep in mind for this series,” she said. 

With Kenya and Malawi taking part in the series, Veve was excited for her team to be given the opportunity to come up against teams they weren’t familiar with in the lead up to the Netball World Cup.  

“We haven’t played an African team before, having them over here and seeing the different style that they bring and that being something we haven’t been exposed to before is really good for us in the lead up to the World Cup,” she said. 

Looking towards the World Cup Veve expressed how special it is for Tonga Tala to be competing among the world’s top sixteen teams.  

“It was always our goal to make the World Cup and to now be ranked seventh in the world is really special and to be in a pool playing against Australia is something I never ever thought possible. So to be in that pool, playing Australia second is just huge for us to be on the world stage and put Tonga out there. We’re a small country just a little dot on the map, but we are mighty,” she said. 

While she dons the red dress on the international stage, Veve is a training partner with the Queensland Firebirds and credits her experience with the side for enabling her to lead Tonga. 

“The elite environment, the high-performance behaviours that the Firebirds bring is really good for me to do day in and day out. I bring it here and expose the girls to that and it helps me to lead the team. There’s so much I take from the Firebirds that helps Tonga,” she said. 

Veve’s and Tonga’s biggest driver is the Tongan community they surround themselves with. 

“The biggest part for us is having our community support us and being able to do it for them. They’re our biggest drive so it’s really special and we’re really excited to wear the red dress and represent Tonga,” she said. 

Sayonara Alaalatoa
Samoa 
Wing Attack/Centre 

For 16-year-old Sayonara Alaalatoa representing Samoa is a dream come true. 

“I started playing netball in my second grade, I was like seven then. I’ve always been part of Netball Samoa ever since I was young. Looking back on my journey, I feel so grateful to be here especially when I’m at this age,” she said.  

Alaalatoa from Lotofaga Falefa Faleapuna Apia in Samoa hopes that by being in Australia and representing her country she will be able to inspire other young and aspiring athletes to chase their dreams. 

“As a local player from Samoa and one of the youngest in the team, I think it’s really inspiring for the players back home. If I can do it they can do it,” she said. 

“I think that’s the main thing I’d like to take back to the community at home, we have the potential, it’s a matter of being committed to trainings and having that passion for the sport.” 

In terms of the PacificAus Sports Netball Series, Alaalatoa said she was excited to take the court. 

"It’s such an amazing opportunity. All in all I’m just looking forward to everything,” she said. 

“We’re all pretty new to each other but if we just keep our communication up we’ll do well. It’s really hard we have only a couple of days to get our combinations together but I think we’ll do great and smash it.” 

Yves Chee 
Papua New Guinea 
Centre/Wing Attack/Wing Defence 

Up-and-coming Papua New Guinea netballer Yves Chee has her sights firmly set on representing Papua New Guinea on the world’s biggest stage. 

“I’m hoping when the Olympics come to Brisbane that will be our addition sport to the Olympics. I am aiming for that as that’s only 9 years away,” she said. 

Participating in the PacificAus Sports Netball Series the midcourter is taking the first steps in her international career. 

“I started with PNG last year, it’s very new to me and the culture is so different to Australia and the way I’ve grown up so it’s interesting to see what my life could be like and to learn from these girls,” she said. 

Growing up in Gordonvale near Cairns, Chee first started netball in her local Woolworths NetSetGO program from there she’s worked her way up through representative teams in Cairns and Gympie before playing State Titles for the Brisbane North Cougars and now calls the Sunshine Coast Thunder’s Ruby team home.  

“I like that I’ve gotten knowledge from all different places around Queensland and put that together to culminate what is my netball journey so far,” she said. 

Playing for Papua New Guinea, Chee gets to play alongside her younger sister Milly and the duo have taken to the court together throughout the PacificAus Sports Netball Series. 

“When we have our netball brains on it works really well, the flow is almost telepathic. We know the way each other moves,” she said. 

Chee is most looking forward to the opportunity to play a range of different countries in the PacificAus Sports Netball Series. 

“I’m looking forward to playing the other countries and the competition they bring. A lot of them are preparing for the World Cup, we aren’t but it’ll be cool to see the different styles of netball. When you’re in Australia it’s the same basic things but other nations have different approaches to things so that will be really nice,” she said. 

On the next steps she looks to take in her career Chee is excited to be part of the Sunshine Coast Lightning pathway. 

“We work closely with those girls and it’s good to see my friends are training partners and are getting there. It’s cool to see that development,” she said. 

Kai Wei Toh
Singapore
Goal Attack/Goal Shooter

Singapore captain Kai Wei Toh said that competing in international events like the PacificAus Sports Netball Series and in turn the Netball World Cup will help Singapore to develop netball further in her country. 

“It’s inspiring for us to be able to step into such a big competition, it’s a very small community in Singapore who play netball. It’s a stepping stone for all young ladies who want to achieve more in the sport to tell them that’s it’s possible to reach for opportunities to play international competitions so I hope it will encourage more people to play. We’re also starting up with mixed teams, an international mixed team came to Australia to compete as well. So I hope Singapore will be supported in expanding netball,” she said.  

Toh first started playing for Singapore’s national team when she was 21 years old and made her debut in Belfast. If selected Toh will attend her second Netball World Cup this year. 

“This will be my second world cup and I’m very excited to be playing for PacificAus Sports for my second time too,” she said. 

The goal attack spoke about the importance of the PacificAus Sports Netball Series in Singapore’s preparation for the World Cup.  

“I’m looking forward to very competitive games, strong teams to go up against and opponents going to the World Cup this year. Very excited to see how we do, the experience and different exposure during this trip,” Toh said.