Tongan Tala coach happy with progress, calls for more Test netball

Winning Tala netball team coach Jaqua Pori-Makea Simpson believes her team should be given the opportunity to play more Test netball against the major nations.

But she is also wary of the importance of continuing to compete against the other Pacific countries and helping them grow in the game as well.

The team have won almost all regional tournaments they had competed in, including the Pacific Games in Honiara last November.

A month ago, the Tongan Tala claimed their fourth straight Pacific Netball series title since 2022.

"We would love the opportunity to play against a variety of other world netball members to gain better experience, to test ourselves and increase our ranking but there are a lot of factors that would be able to determine that, and funding is probably the biggest challenge," she said.

"Although we have dominated, it is a great contest against other Pacific Nations that we and our supporters all look forward to."

Pori-Makea Simpson fielded four debutants, all Under-21s at the Pacific Series in Brisbane in last month, adding to four others who had been part of the team in the past season.

She said it is part of their plan to continue the work done by others, like World Cup captain Hulita Veve, who was unavailable for the Pacific Netball Series because of contract commitments.

And building up to the upcoming Netball World Youth Cup 2025 (NWYC2025).

Tonga will compete against the rest of the Pacific later this year for a place at the world youth meet in Gilbraltar.

Pori-Makea Simpson was also full of praise for her star goal-shooter Uneeq Palavi, who has since shown her skills with the New South Wales Swifts in the Australian Super Netball competition.

She said Palavi is a unique talent, who is "playing incredible netball".

Pori-Makea Simpson spoke with RNZ Pacific about her team's success so far and plans, moving forward.

RNZP: How do you feel know that Tala has won its fourth Pacific Netball Series title?

JPMS: Four titles and another four debutants is really special for Tala. I think with each series win it gets harder, the expectation grows, our opposition are getting better and better and we are no longer an unknown. We had a tough run into this grand final, but I think in the end it served us well. Our young team built resilience along the way and showed a lot of determination to earn the series win.

RNZP: What are your thoughts on the team's performance and the oppositions the team faced?

JPMS: We tried and tested a few different combinations in this series and used the opportunity to shift some of our regulars into different positions. There is no doubt it got a little uncomfortable at times and we lost some rhythm, but it is also necessary to develop and learn and we had a couple of great lightbulb moments.

Playing any of the African nations is always exciting, they are outstanding athletes, and we struggled a little against their style of play, so the more opportunity we get to play against them, the better we are for it.

As usual Singapore was exceptionally tidy, and it was difficult for us to generate our usual turnovers and swing momentum. They did a great job at controlling the tempo and speed of the game and we took a little while to adjust.

RNZP: Do you feel Tonga should be given more chances to play against stronger teams in different tournaments? Is there still a need for Tonga to be playing Fiji and Samoa if you have dominated the last four series?

JPMS: We would love the opportunity to play against a variety of other world netball members to gain better experience, to test ourselves and increase our ranking but there are a lot of factors that would be able to determine that, and funding is probably the biggest challenge.

Although we have dominated, it is a great contest against other Pacific Nations that we and our supporters all look forward to. The gap is closing, Fiji have been outstanding over the past three or four matches and those games could go either way, Samoa are building, and PNG will be the big movers in the future, they were really exciting at Pacific Games. It is also important for those teams to play us.

RNZP: What does the win mean for the preparation of the Under-21 team for the world cup in 2025?

JPMS: The Under-21 World Youth Cup qualifiers are in September in the Cook Islands, and it is a really exciting time for Tonga.

Eight of the Tala players from this series are Under-21 and two of them are still in high school. The experience they take from the Pacific Series series is priceless, not just playing time but the environment and expectations from an event like this can't be replicated, it has to be experienced.

RNZP: How do you rate the Under-21 players who played for Tala?

JPMS: Throughout the week the Under-21s in this group grew from strength to strength and it would've been difficult to know who the veterans were and who was debuting. Four of the Under-21s played starring roles in the grand final, with an average team age of 20, the future is looking bright.

RNZP: Where to from here?

JPMS: Our Talas have earned a break from national commitments for a little while and have returned to finish their domestic netball competitions and we will shift our focus to the national Under-21s team.

RNZP: Uneeq Palavi was outstanding again. How do you rate her performance against the best in the world?

JPMS: There is no doubt that Uneeq Palavi is playing incredible netball. She is an absolute talent and has earned all of her accolades. Uneeq is one of our highest capped Tala, who debuted at 17 and now has 46 caps under her belt at the tender age of 22. We are proud to watch her grow, the person she is and provide a platform for us to share with everyone.