Tailevu South Primary Schools Netball Association is making a planned return to the National Primary Schools Netball Championship after several years away, with the tournament set for week 14 of term one in Labasa. The association hopes the comeback will translate into competitive performances after an intense local selection process that involved 16 schools across the Tailevu South zone.
The build-up to the national event featured a three-day zone tournament that doubled as both a carnival and a selection platform. Coaches used the competition to scout talent across grades, shortlisting 20 players per grade from the entries. Those lists will be trimmed to final squads of 12 players per grade ahead of the championship, organisers said, with the final selection to be made following focused training sessions.
Tarusila Tawake, an executive of the Tailevu South association, described the recent trials as productive and said the pool of players offers promise if given the right preparation. “We’ve seen a lot of talent over the last three days. With some fine-tuning and focused training, these girls will be a team to watch in Labasa,” she said. Tawake also acknowledged that a number of minor errors during the zone tournament had led to penalties, and that correcting those mistakes would be a priority for the coaching staff.
Coaches from participating schools have been assigned to lead the training and selection process as Tailevu South prepares to finalise its teams. The association emphasised that the three-day carnival format allowed players to experience competitive match conditions while giving coaches a clearer view of individuals’ fitness, skills and game temperament — all factors that will shape the final 12-player championship rosters.
Tailevu South’s optimism is bolstered by recent national-level success in athletics. At recent national athletics events the zone finished second in the boys’ division and third in the girls’ division. Tawake pointed to those results as evidence of a broader sporting upswing in the district and said she believes netball can emulate that success with the same community backing and disciplined preparation. “If we can perform like that in athletics, we believe netball can be just as successful,” she added.
The association publicly thanked parents, school heads and the Ministry of Education for financial and moral support during the zone competition and the lead-up to the nationals. With talent identified, coaching in place and community support secured, Tailevu South will now move into the next phase of preparation: narrowing squads to 12 players, implementing targeted training to eliminate costly errors, and finalising travel and logistics ahead of the Labasa event in week 14 of term one. The return marks Tailevu South’s latest push to re-establish itself on the national primary schools netball stage.
Leave a comment