ALONA Feskatoa never imagined she would one day be part of the McDonald’s Fijian Drua Women setup.
Now the strength and conditioning coach is helping prepare some of Fiji’s best female rugby players for the demands of elite competition, carving out her place in a field still heavily dominated by men.
Originally from Malhaha in Rotuma, Feskatoa is in her first season with the Drua Women’s programme and says the opportunity has been both exciting and humbling.
“This is my first season with the Drua Women’s programme. I am passionate about athlete development, performance, and creating a positive training environment, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to grow and contribute this season,” she said.
Her journey into professional rugby was far from traditional.
Feskatoa attended Veiuto Primary School before continuing her education at Suva Grammar School. She later spent a year at The University of the South Pacific before discovering her passion for fitness and personal training.
“I found my passion in fitness,” she said.
That passion pushed her to enrol with, where she earned her certification in 2023 and began working as a personal trainer.
Her breakthrough into rugby came through the Suva women’s provincial side.
“I was only used to working one-on-one with private clients, but when I joined the team environment it was different because I wasn’t dealing with one player anymore, I was dealing with more than 30 players.
“Every individual and every position requires different workout plans.”
The experience sparked her interest in the technical side of strength and conditioning within rugby and opened the door into the Fiji Rugby Union’s High-Performance Unit.
Through the HPU pathway, Feskatoa completed her World Rugby Strength and Conditioning Level One and Level Two accreditations before being involved with the national women’s sevens programme late last year.
Soon after, she was called into the fifteens setup ahead of the Oceania campaign before eventually earning her place with the Drua Women.
“To be honest, I never saw myself to be here, especially for Super W. It’s exciting because I’ve never played rugby. I was always the person sitting at home watching the game.
“So, to now be in this environment and help the girls prepare and perform at this level is something I honestly never saw coming,” she added.
Feskatoa comes from a small family of three, alongside her mother and sister, and says she is the only one deeply involved in sport.
“I’m the youngest. We all watch rugby, but before this I never really knew what happened behind the scenes,” she said.
“Now I get to see the work the coaches, analysts and S&C staff put in to help players reach that elite level.”
Working in a male-dominated industry has also motivated her to inspire more women to step into coaching and high-performance roles.
“In my field, I’m the only female in that office, so it’s a big thing.
