Rising New Zealand stars
There is one player from the last campaign who is in the very rare position of being eligble for a second World Youth Cup, when it is held in Suva next year
Auckland: The New Zealand Under-21 team to contest next year’s Netball World Youth Cup in Suva won’t be named for some time but rival teams will already be feeling a dose of trepidation.
New Zealand are the reigning champions, having surprised some people when they won gold over
Australia in Botswana in 2017. Before that, they also took out the Cup in Glasgow in 2013.
There is one player from the last campaign who is in the very rare position of being eligible for a second World Youth Cup, when it’s held in Suva next year.
Tiana Metuarau was only 16 when she played in the Botswana tournament alongside the likes of current Silver Ferns Maia Wilson and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson. Metuarau, who brought up her 50th ANZ Premiership game over the weekend, is one of a number of stand-out under 21 players in the ANZ league.
Grace Nweke is the youngest at just 18. Her teenage shooting partners at the Mystics - Saviour
Tui and Asher Grapes will also be striving for selection into the Under-21 team.
Midcourters Maddy Gordon, Tayla Earle, and Renee Savai’inaea will be in the reckoning, alongside powerful Steel goal keep Taneisha Fifita.
While the policy of unlimited imports remains in place in Australia’s domestic league, it will be harder for the next generation of local players to break into Suncorp Super Netball.
In contrast, emerging players in New Zealand are getting opportunities more quickly and the talent is rising to the top.