HOST club Shine On capped their 2019 season on a high note by reaching the finals of all the categories during the International Netball Festival which ended at the Multipurpose Courts in Lautoka yesterday.
Participating in the tournament without a major sponsor, the Shine On Club players displayed great team bonding and self-belief to fight it out until the end.
Shine On won two out of the four finals.
Shine On Stars beat HBK Lomaiviti Princess 23-18 in the under-15 final.
In the U18 final, Shine On Woodley downed City Diamonds 20-8.
In the U13 final, Shine On lost to Bloom Baby Blue 13-4 while HBK Lomaiviti Black beat Shine On Survivors 22-16 in the open final.
Shine On Netball Club president Joji Lagi said they recorded their best result in the festival this year.
Lagi said to reach the finals of all the categories was a major achievement.
“We are thankful to the parents who have been supporting their children who are part of the club,” he said.
“We do not have a major sponsor but the club has done well this year. We took a team to Gold Coast, Australia in April and the tour was an eye-opener for the players. Next year we are aiming to take two teams abroad to participate in various junior tournaments.”
Former Fiji rep Sala Drasuna said this year’s festival attracted teams from as far as Taveuni and Buca Bay from the Northern Division.
Drasuna said it was quite encouraging to see the fathers coming out in numbers to support their daughters participating in the tournament especially with netball often perceived to be female oriented sport.
“There is a change of mindset that has come in which is good for netball in the long term,” she said.
“I have seen some of the girls who started playing from the U9 grade and they have come a long way in developing their skills.
“However what we need is more tournaments of such nature to be held on a regular basis. I always say that you can train and be fit but if you don’t get the much needed game time then it make a lot of difference on the court.”
Drasuna represented Fiji from 1975 to 1983 and was part of the national team that participated at the 1975 World Netball Championship in New Zealand.
Results:
U13: (9th/10th place) Rising Eagles Gold 14 Shine On Princesses 8, (7th/8th place) Lomai Dolphins 7 Lomaiviti Opals 11, (5th/6th place) Rising Eagles Sapphires 22 Bondi Phoenix 12, (3rd/4th place) Bloom Baby Red 7 Taimoucla 15, (1st/2nd place) Bloom Baby Blue 13 Shine On 4.
U15: (7th/8th place) Lomaiviti Mascots 13 Buca Bay 15, (5th/6th place) Rising Eagles Lightning 9 Inverill Sapphires 12, (3rd/4th place) Hornets 16 Glorious Netters 19, (1st/2nd place) Shine On Stars 23 HBK Lomaiviti Princess 18.
U18: (9th/10th place) Lomaiviti Stars 13 Lomai Stingers 19, (7th/8th place) Rising Eagles Diamonds 20 Taveuni 15, (5th/6th place) Rising Eagles Thunder 14 Lomaiviti Awesome 10, (3rd/4th place) Bloom Magic 17 HBK Lomaiviti Divas 20, (1st/2nd place) Shine On Woodley 20 City Diamonds 8.
Open: (7th/8th place) QBN Royals 14 Beautiful Eagles 12, (5th/6th place) MPV’s 13 Surfside 17, (3rd/4th place) Glorious Netters 18 Buca Bay 10, (1st/2nd place) HBK Lomaiviti Black 22 Shine On Survivors 16.
