The Fiji men’s national netball team is preparing for its inaugural international tournament. Head coach Jioeli Makare revealed that the invitation came from Singapore netball. The 15-member squad will be announced this week after trials held last Saturday at the Fiji National University gymnasium in Nasinu.
The training for the extended squad began six weeks ago. This marks the first occasion that the men’s team will travel abroad for an international competition. Six countries have confirmed participation in the tournament, including Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, England, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Makare is hopeful that this will be the start of many international tournaments for the team. Earlier this year in March, trials were conducted, but they only featured local players as there were no overseas-based members. The trial dates have been shared on the Netball Fiji page. Makare has submitted the final 15 names to the executive committee, and he expects to receive approval to inform the players later this week.
Additionally, Makare expressed hopes that netball will be included as an Olympic sport, as World Netball has announced plans to collaborate with Netball Australia to advocate for netball’s inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
In other news, the Suva Swifts claimed victory in the Finance Hub Super League, decisively defeating Lautoka with a score of 69-35 last Saturday. The capital city team featured several members of the Pearls extended squad, including standout shooter Unaisi Rauluni, who was named the most valuable player (MVP).
Other Pearls players contributing to the victory were Avelina Navue, Maliana Rusivakula, and Reama Verekauta. Head coach Filo Korovulavula dedicated the win to the Suva Netball Association committee and their sponsor, Netball IGA. She expressed enthusiasm for next year, citing plans to send a development team to Australia. Korovulavula commended the strong performance of her younger players and emphasized the importance of leadership from the senior athletes during the match.
In the final results, Suva Swifts defeated Lautoka Stars 69-35, while in the fifth-place playoff, Nadroga Stallions lost to Baby Pearls Team Kikau 28-61, and Nadi fell to Tailevu Doves 20-30 in the seventh-place matchup.