Fonua has strong eyes on the international prize
SPORT was never on Lupe Fonua’s radar. Now it’s her whole life. Only picking up a netball at eight years-old, Fonua has taken big strides in the game. “I wasn’t raised on sport, but I found love for it,” she told Rookie Me Central. “My friends were actually playing when I was younger. So I […]
Bethune’s bad luck breaks after triple knee burden
IT TOOK six years of hard work, determination and passion for April Bethune to even get a taste of the Victorian Netball League (VNL). At just 16-years-old, Bethune encountered her first obstacle. She was in the middle of tryouts for state and was preparing for VNL tryouts while playing A-grade. Bethune had ruptured her left […]
New position means new learnings for Sligar
A HEAD knock was the burden of all evil that sent shockwaves through the Australian Fast5 camp. Kim Jenner was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament leaving just two defenders for the reigning champs. But someone saved the day. Amy Sligar was popped in the relatively unfamiliar position of goal defence for the […]
Fauonuku overcomes illness to nail nationals
IN A cruel twist of fate, illness came at the worst possible time for Amalani Fauonuku ahead of a national tournament. In what was nearly a nationals campaign to forget, Fauonuku persevered and overcame the illness to thrive across the event. The Saturday night before leaving for Frankston earlier this year, the 16-year-old was struck […]
Broken leg didn’t break Hoey’s dreams
FLYING to another state to represent your state to win a title. Getting to wear the navy blue dress of Victoria. Charli Hoey went half way through the tournament dominating the competition, until a leg injury caused a strenuous amount of harm. Hoey was diagnosed with bone bruising during the tournament which ended her nationals […]
Sharp shooter taking advantage of opportunities
YOU would think being 5’10 would be tall. In general yes, but this day in the age of netball, that is seen as being on the shorter side, especially as a shooter. Nowadays you see 6 ‘5 shooters like Grace Nweke, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Caitlin Bassett. Jess Tetley has figured out how to turn her […]
Country star Lavis takes major leaps to get a taste of SSN
TRAVELLING from Victoria-New South Wales border into Melbourne multiple times a week would take a toll on any person. Numerous hours in the car, training for two hours, then having to drive back. It’s an endless cycle. Mia Lavis has learnt to adapt to that being from the country town of Howlong, but she appreciates […]
Charlotte Sexton’s dreams are becoming a reality
“I WANT to make Suncorp Super Netball, not sure how many years I’m off doing that, but hopefully a training partner role is the next step.” Little did Charlotte Sexton know, that statement would soon become a reality. Sexton was announced as one of the five training partners with the Melbourne Vixens for the 2025 […]
Diamonds delve into positives despite disapointing result
DESPITE having already lost the series, the Australian Diamonds still came away from Wednesday night’s final Constellation Cup match with something to smile about having convincingly won the final test. Reflecting on it all post match, Diamonds’ head coach Stacey Marinkovich described the importance of winning the match to bookend the year as “huge”. “I […]
Silver Ferns don’t clean sweep but still come away happy
WEDNESDAY’s final Constellation Cup match brought mixed emotions for New Zealand, because although they lost that match they were still able to celebrate post match because they had already won the whole series. Speaking after Wednesday night’s final test of the series, Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was reflective of it all. “I thought […]
