Under-19s do Papakura netball proud
Finishing sixth in a national sports competition isn’t something teams normally write home about.
But it definitely is worth a shout from the roof tops in the case of Papakura’s under-19 netballers.
What the team achieved will be a benchmark and an inspiration for future age group teams from the Papakura Netball Centre.
They’re still have some way to go but it’s now only the big city teams that stand between Papakura and a title.
Coach Delwyn Sanders says it was a significant achievement for a small suburban team from South Auckland and that it augurs well for the game in the area.
‘‘This is huge for us. There were 19 teams in total so to finish six was a huge achievement. We were up against city teams such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to name a few.
‘‘The most satisfying aspect was that we were able to improve our placing by two spots. That shows there is growth being made in Papakura netball and that the work that has been done with these players in on track.’’
The under-19 championships is a netball showpiece and is a stepping stone into the New Zealand secondary school teams, even the ANZ Netball championships.
‘‘As an association we have put ourselves up with the very best and were rewarded with one of our players, Ashleigh Garner (Manurewa Rugby), getting selected for the tournament team. That’s a first for Papakura and a huge boost for Ashley who is only 16 years old.’’
She says the team, dominated by players from the Manurewa Rugby Netball Club, worked and played extremely hard. Many played every game because Papakura did not enjoy the depth that the other city teams do.
Garner, Tess Sholten and Darci Shelly were the pick of the players.
‘‘Papakura Netball must continue developing our players and coaches so that the province can achieve more highlights and have players selected for national tournament teams,’’ Sanders says.
North Harbour beat Papakura 52-23 in the playoff for fifth and sixth. Wellington beat Auckland 38-25 for the title.
The top ten teams are Wellington 1, Auckland 2, Christchurch 3, Waitakere 4, North Harbour 5, Papakura 6, Dunedin, Hamilton, Southland, Hutt Valley.
The team is: Papakura under-19
Tessa Scholten (captain), Ashleigh Garner, Brooke Calverley, Ani Connelly, Georgia Dance, Genisa Tua, Teri-Jean Murray, Darci Shelley (Manurewa Rugby), Alyssa Niko-Tuifao, Mikayla Rosieur, Liana Morgan (Aztec) and Teresa Tuhi (Manurewa Marlins), Delwyn Sanders (coach), Natalie Edmondson (manager), Kathryn Garner (cook) and Talia Rout (physio).