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 down with illness for several days as there was an outbreak across Werribee, Fauonuku’s hometown.

Leaving on the Sunday night instead, Fauonuku had reached a point where she was allowed to travel but had to be isolated from the rest of the squad. The world just seemed to be against the state representative having been named as starting goal attack for the first game.

“That game, my chest was so heavy, I was just taking everything to the chin that game,” Fauonuku told Rookie Me Central. “I powered through the rest of the week and I got completely better on Tuesday.”

“That week was a really emotional week for me. I did shed a lot of tears on and off the court.”

The shooter was originally named as a defender, which took quite a toll on her mentally.

“I did hop into defence quite a bit and the head coach for the state team ‘Toddy’ (Jacinta Todd), she had gotten a little bit of that and at trials I did do a bit of defence as an alternate position,” Fauonuku said.

“That was just to fill in the position and I didn’t mind it because I had goals as my first options and then I just had defence at the bottom just in case.

“I did go defence anyways, but when I got the call that I was in defence at that moment, I was so overzealous that I had made the team that I was just like, yes, yes, that’s perfect. I’ll do it. And then I hung up and then I was like … defence.”

Fauonuku told her mum about her selection, but felt like something was wrong. She realised that wasn’t the way she wanted to approach nationals because she always knew that the Aus squad would be on her radar.

“When I got the call, she said that I would be doing defence and then I’d occasionally go into goals. That’s where all the thoughts started kicking about, if I do defence, will my chances of being selected for Aus decrease?”

When Fauonuku plays in her natural position, she feels this sense of freedom, more natural around the court knowing she can do her best there. But in defence, she knew her chances of making Aus squad was 50/50.

Training, defence. Match play, defence. Team selection, defence. Fauonuku saw no time in goals for significantly longer than she thought she would.

After a practice match against North East Blaze where Fauonuku played the whole game in goal keeper, the youngster walked off the court to the bathrooms bawling her eyes out.

A sit down with her coach Toddy was much needed. They had a chat and Fauonuku was put back into goals. That conversation was “a lifesaver”.

Funnily enough, Fauonuku actually hated netball growing up.

She wasn’t keen on waking up early, and didn’t want to play netball at all. She didn’t enjoy it, didn’t know the sport at all and just wanted to go out there and run. It wasn’t until she saw her older sister Lucia play when she realised she wanted to follow her sister’s footsteps.

As important as their sports careers are with Lucia representing Tonga and Lani making it into the Mavericks SSN Reserves side and being offered a VIS scholarship, their parents want them to have a good academic background. They wanted to support it so bad that they sent Lucia to Clarendon in Ballarat on a scholarship. Lani has been to three high schools — currently at Caulfield Grammar School — and her brother at four.

Fauonuku gives all credit for constant travel to her dad who has been ever so supportive.

“Kudos to my dad. He is my G. He literally takes me everywhere. He does everything for me,” she said.

Eleven with nationals this year being in Frankston, Fauonuku’s mum would travel from Werribee every day and would stay the whole day to watch her daughter play the morning and night games.

Finding it difficult to distinguish the two, Fauonuku said “my social life is my netball life”.

Fauonuku actually plays at the City West Falcons with Lucia who plays in their champ side.

“Having my sister there as well really made me comfortable and being able to relax and not get as nervous going into training and games,” Fauonuku said.

“I was already comfortable with the coaches, and then after that it was just getting to know the girls around me that was, I wouldn’t say challenging, but it was just the part I needed to do myself, just reaching out.

“The Falcon’s environment is really uplifting, and it’s really diverse in its background.”

The netball was picked up for the first time while Fauonuku was playing for the Werribee Lightning in under eights.

“I hated it, dreaded every game. I actually took a break from netball and then I came back into it in the same comp, just a different team,” she said.

To feel better about the sport, Fauonuku followed Lucia to the Westside Saints and started to find her love for the game.

“I got moved there (Westside) and the coach Darren [Abela], he had so much faith in me, I don’t know why. I was so young and he would put me into older age groups,” Fauonuku said.

“People were saying, ‘Oh, she can’t be in this team’. ‘She’s too young’. ‘She hasn’t developed enough to be in under 13s’. And yet he still kept me there.”

By that point, Fauonuku was playing in wing defence. She was extremely out of position and was now there to make up numbers. It wasn’t until top age 13s when the former defender started to come out and showcase her form. She was now in goal shooter and the team was undefeated.

The argument about her age had never left Fauonuku’s career. It’s constantly been glaring over her shoulders, but the shooter just shakes it off now.

“I feel when I play with 23s, age is just not in the question at this point,” Fauonuku said.

Fauonuku has had no struggle playing with and against people a lot older than her as she made her division one and champ debuts in 2023 as a 14-year-old — the minimum age for a player in the Victorian Netball League (VNL). Her champ debut was also against the Falcons rivals Boroondara Express.

“I really think that I was able to actually feel it, because I was with the champ girls and everyone was getting behind me and just making sure that I was feeling okay,” Fauonuku said.

“They were just getting around me every time I passed, every time I caught the ball, just even when I breathed, they were just getting around.

“If I could re-experience that game. I would re-experience it right now in this moment.”