The Tailevu South Primary Schools Netball Association’s three-day zone meet concludes today at the National Netball Centre in Laucala Bay, Suva, with 16 schools and more than 1,300 students contesting for places across seven age groups and a mixed category. The tournament also doubles as trials for the Tailevu South teams that will travel to the national championships in Labasa during week 14 of term one.
Nakelo District School has arrived at the final day as one of the favourites, aiming to go one better than last year’s haul after winning three grades in the previous tournament. Mary Rose Fisher, president of the Nakelo District School netball association, said the school’s strong support network of parents and teachers has been vital to the team’s preparations. “Even though I’m new here, I quickly saw how supportive the parents are. The teachers have also given their time to train the girls, and that’s been fantastic,” Fisher said.
After two days of intense matches, Fisher reported that Nakelo’s players have shown encouraging form across the grades. “The results so far are really good. The girls have done well across all grades, and we’re very happy with the progress,” she said, adding that the players are eager to wear the Tailevu South colours at the national championships. “They’re 100% keen. All the girls keep asking, ‘Can we represent?’ I’ve told them to do their best as the selectors will be out there monitoring their performances.”
Organisers say the zone meet is a critical stepping stone for primary-age netballers seeking selection to regional representative sides. With selectors observing play over the three days, standout performers across the seven age groups — which span the youngest primary grades up to the older junior divisions, plus a mixed category — will be in contention for Tailevu South berths to compete in Labasa.
Community involvement has been a recurrent theme at the courts, with parents, teachers and local supporters turning out in numbers to cheer the young athletes. Fisher highlighted that community backing not only boosts player morale on match days but also provides ongoing training and logistical support that can make the difference in tight selection battles.
As the meet winds up today, Nakelo’s bid for a clean sweep would constitute a bold statement of dominance in the Tailevu South primary netball scene and set high expectations for the association’s showing at the national championships. For many of the more than 1,300 participants, the zone meet represents both a competitive highlight of the school year and an opportunity to progress along Fiji’s junior netball development pathway.
Leave a comment