Defending champions Nasinu under pressure

Defending champions Nasinu face strong competition as they aim to retain the overall title at the Fiji Primary Schools Netball Tournament.

Team manager Anaisi Korovulavula said while players from Under-9 to Under-14 enjoyed competing at Subrail Park for the first time, reclaiming the title would be challenging.

This year’s championship has seen districts such as Nadroga, Suva, Kadavu, Cakaudrove, and Labasa provide tough competition.

However, Korovulavula said the team remained confident and would take each game at a time.

“We have a mixed bag of results from Under-9 to Under-14, with 12 teams — two teams per grade,” she said.

Korovulavula said player exposure was vital to help young athletes develop and build consistency in the sport.

“Playing netball should become a consistent engagement for our girls, so they can grow to higher levels in the game,” she said.

In the Under-10 grade yesterday, Nasinu defeated hosts Labasa 6–3, underlining their bid for back-to-back titles.

Korovulavula said the sunny conditions made matches challenging but would help build stamina ahead of the knockout stages.

“Our girls’ fitness levels will improve as the tournament progresses,” she said.

She said hosting the tournament in Labasa allowed teams from Viti Levu to experience the North’s passion for netball.

“Netball is not just played and loved by people in Viti Levu, it is also loved by those in the North,” she added.

Korovulavula said future tournaments should be hosted across more districts to give wider exposure to girls’ netball.

The competition ends today.