Rotuma High School is set to make its comeback at the 2024 Crest Chicken Fiji Secondary School Netball Championship after a decade-long absence. Fiji Secondary School Netball President Navitalai Naivalu stated that the school must first participate in the maritime rally to secure a spot in the national event scheduled for August 21-23 at the National Netball Centre in Suva.
“There are no automatic qualifiers,” Naivalu explained, adding that schools such as Adi Maopa from Lau, along with Koro, Gau, and Kadavu, have confirmed their participation.
RHS manager Lorraine Wesley announced that the school will be competing in the Under-17 division, fielding a team of 17 players. Securing funding for their participation was a challenge, as the community had to collaborate to raise the $7,000 needed for the annual tournament. Wesley mentioned, “We had two kava barrels at the Itumuta community hall to fundraise for our funds for the tournament.”
Wesley is optimistic that her team can play at least two friendly matches against Kalabu Secondary and Gospel High schools before the Maritime rally on August 19 in Suva. “Our principal has been liaising with the two schools, we haven’t received anything yet as we just arrived today,” she said.
All of their Under-17 players are in Year 11. “We are going as underdogs since we have a lot to learn, and it’s going to be a great opportunity for the girls,” she added. Wesley expressed her expectations while acknowledging that the experience would help boost the players’ confidence, especially as it will be their first time competing against other schools.
“The rally is a fantastic platform for the players to build their confidence and assess their competitiveness,” she noted. “We’ll take it one step at a time. You never know, one or two of them could represent Fiji in netball in the future.” Wesley is also calling on RHS alumni to come out in large numbers to support the girls.