The Fijians Pearls were in stunning form defeating Papua New Guinea 68-51 to win gold in the 2015 Pacific Games netball final yesterday.

The Fijians were once again on fire from the opening whistle showing their competitive attacking structure which put the Pepes under a lot of pressure. The Mere Neiliko-captained side utilised all opportunities well making sure to get all goals count from the centre, mid court and to the hands of shooters led by Taraima Mitchell. The Fijians led 20-13 in the first quarter.

Fiji maintained momentum in the second quarter in front of a crowd of more than 3000 netball fans. Fiji led 36-26 at halftime.

The final two quarters belonged to Fiji as they continued to win the hearts of many with their attacking and defensive play.

Neiliko acknowledged the support from home.

“We want to thank all the Fijian communities here for coming out in numbers and supporting us,”Neiliko said.

“We also want to thank PNG for giving us a good game and for their great hospitality.

“The girls played well and proved themselves. We are now looking forward to the Netball World Championship in August and our second test against Silver Ferns in New Zealand later this month,” she added.

Samoa netball won the bronze medal.

The Team Fiji contingent is scheduled to arrive in Nadi at 6.35pm today.

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