From being unranked less than a decade ago, to competing on one of the world’s biggest stages, The Tonga Tala embraced the challenge of facing the world’s best as they proudly represented their nation at the Commonwealth Games.
The historic campaign began with captain Hulita Veve leading Team Tonga into the Opening Ceremony as the nation's flag bearer.
"It's very special for me to be given this opportunity,” Veve told ABC Pacific.
“It means more than words can describe.”
As the only netball team from the Pacific competing in the Games, the Tonga Tala represented the region with pride.
“We are here not only representing Tonga but our Pacific sisters from Fiji, Samoa, and all the girls from the islands," Veve said.
Captain Hulita Veve was the flag bearer for Team Tonga at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Drawn in a challenging pool alongside Australia, South Africa, Northern Ireland, England, Malawi, and Wales, the Tala faced a formidable introduction to the competition.
“We’ve got countries with populations of millions, then we’ve got little old Tonga,” CEO of Tonga Netball Salote Sisifa told ABC Pacific.
“I’m very proud of our Talas and netball in Oceania that we are able to compete at this level.”
Their campaign opened against the Australian Diamonds, with 'The People's Princess' Uneeq Palavi on the opposing side to her former Melbourne Mavericks teammate Jamie-Lee Price, while fellow Maverick Amy Parmenter was among those cheering from the stands.
Although heavy defeats to Australia and South Africa proved tough, the Tala responded with determination to secure victories over Northern Ireland and Wales.
Tonga secured victories against Northern Ireland and Wales during their campaign.
They also put up a strong fight against Malawi, showcasing the resilience, passion and fighting spirit that has become synonymous with Tongan netball.
"It did not break the spirit of the players,” Sisifa told ABC Pacific.
“You could see in their eyes they were hurt, but they still came back fighting.
“You win some, you lose some, you take the learnings, and you can only grow and learn from it.”
For Sisifa, the experience of seeing Tonga compete on one of world sport's biggest stages extended far beyond the court.
"The further you are from Tonga, it reminds you of your love for your country,” she said.
“When you see our flag flying amongst the countries of the Commonwealth, it makes you a proud Tongan, supporting each other."
The Tala maintained their inspiring spirit and resilience throughout the tournament.
Head coach Jaqua Pori-Makea Simpson was equally proud of what the team achieved, both on and off the court.
"Pride actually goes beyond just the games,” she said
“This is our first Commonwealth Games, so that's pretty massive for us.”
“There's still a bit of work to do and building that takes time.
“Other countries have had decades and decades to do that, we're at the very beginning of it.”
Every match was backed by passionate Tongan supporters, with fans travelling from across Europe and the United States to support the Tala throughout the tournament.
“We had Tongans who flew over from across Europe and America just to support, the hospitality in Glasgow has been great,” Sisifa said.
“Tongan fans are always making friends, the spirit of the commonwealth and the sport has been great.”
The unwavering support of the Tongan community made a lasting impact on the playing group.
"No matter where in the world there's always a Tongan there in our corner,” Palavi told World Netball .
“The supporters are the eighth player, so to have them behind us has been amazing.”
The Tala captured the hearts of many from across the globe during the tournament.
The Commonwealth Games also represented another important step in the Tala's rise. Through consistent international competition, including four titles from the past five PacificAus Sports Netball Series, Tonga has developed into one of the world's fastest-rising netball nations.
The PacificAus Sports Netball Series has provided the Tala with a valuable international testing ground, helping them climb the world rankings while competing against quality opposition such as Malawi and the Scottish Thistles.
"Giving us a platform to showcase talent and the fast rise of our national team to be in the world's top 10 couldn't have been done without our partnership with PacificAus Sports and Netball Australia," Sisifa said.
"Our success in this is a shared story of success from this beautiful partnership."
Beyond the results, the campaign served as inspiration for the next generation of Tongan netballers.
“When young players in Tonga and Tongans overseas see we are playing countries of the world, they’ll know it doesn’t matter where you grow up in the world, here’s a pathway and here’s a national team, the opportunity is there,” Sisifa said.
With invaluable experience gained in Glasgow, Tonga leaves the Commonwealth Games well positioned to continue its upward trajectory in international netball.
Imagery provided by Netball Scoop: Jodie Dent images
PacificAus Sports is an Australian Government sports diplomacy program that provides Pacific athletes, officials, and administrators access to high-performance training and elite competition. Through partnering with Australian national sporting organisations, like Netball Australia, the program aims to strengthen relationships across the Pacific through sport.
Interested in Netball Australia’s international development work? See more here .
