In their 100th year, St Andrew’s College will once again feature at the NZSS Netball Championships in Rotorua in the second week of the school holidays.

St Andrew’s College have qualified for the 16-team tournament over each of the past four years, having finished 10th in 2014 and 15th in both 2015 and last year.

StAC qualified second for nationals at the recent SISS tournament, losing to Dunedin’s St Hilda’s Collegiate 38-33 in the final, after beating Dunedin’s Columba College 40-28 in their semi-final. They also won this year’s Canterbury Supernet competition.
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Some questions and answers below from team captain Samantha Molloy.

School: St Andrew’s College
Coaches: Kirsty Carline
Captain: Samantha Molloy

Team Members:
Samantha Molloy, Olivia Clark, Jess Allan, Amelia Holmes, Olivia Tutty, Amelia Sharpe, Georgia Woollett, Heitawhiri Cooper, Brianna Fidow, Kate Allan, Alice Thomson, Emily Allan.

What’s it going to take for your school to do well in the NZSS Nationals coming up in Rotorua?
We need to get our connection working quickly and that applies to off court as well, we need to make sure that we are respecting and enjoying each other’s company off court as well.

What local competitions has your school team played in this year and how did your team go?
We have played in the Saturday Christchurch Netball competition, where we moved up a grade from Senior 1 to Premier 2 and placed 4th. We played in the Christchurch SuperNet Secondary Schools Netball Competition, which we won.  We played in the South Island Secondary Schools Netball Tournament, where we were runners-up.

Who are your school’s closest rivals on the netball court?
St Margaret’s College have always been a rival school having been strong contenders of the SuperNet Shield over the last few years.

Tell us about a couple of memorable matches your team has been involved in this year?
One of most memorable matches would have to be beating Villa Maria in the Supernet semi -final - and then also following this up at South Islands, beating them again to qualify for semi-finals and Nationals.
 
Another memorable game is the win we had over old rivals St Margaret’s College to take the SuperNet Shield. This was memorable as St Margaret’s have always been a tough side to play and this is the first year we have beaten them.

What’s the age make-up of your team?
We have five Year 13 students, so we are an old team. We have two Year 12’s, two year 11s and three Year 10’s. There is one girl playing her fourth and final nationals tournament – Olivia Clark (previously Palmerston North 2014, Ashburton 2015, Lower Hutt 2016). Jess Allen and Samantha Molloy are playing in their third and final national tournament (Ashburton 2015, Lower Hutt 2016) and Amelia Holmes, Amelia Sharpe and Olivia Tutty are playing in their second national tournament. (Lower Hutt 2016).

What’s the strength of your team?
We have a lot of fight in us and we are known for being down at half time and then fighting back, we do not give up until the game is over.

Are there individuals in your team that also play other sports?
We have a few girls that do athletics, touch, volleyball and rowing. Some play basketball competitively and socially as well.
 
Does your team have a motto or a mascot or any pre or post game rituals or preparations?
We have a school smurf as a St Andrew’s College Mascot. Our team motto/quote would be, ‘You can lead the horse to the water but you can’t make the horse drink.’ We also love it when our manager (Megan Hutton) raps to Vanilla Ice’s – Ice Ice Baby.
 
What other support has your team received to get to allow it to operate at the level it does?
Huge support from our parents, they have been amazing!   Shoe Clinic for sponsoring us with new shoes for the season. We made a video to thank them, which you can see on the Shoe Clinic Riccarton Website or this link -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44XU6Zh7GY&feature=youtu.be -  It’s quite a laugh!  Also coaches that have done specialist sessions with us – Ana Galvin and Ronelle van Dongen.  And special shout out to our fitness sports and conditioning trainer – Todd Henderson aka ‘Toddie the Hottie.’

Look out for the Howick College netball team at the NZSS Netball Nationals in Rotorua in the second week of the holidays.

The multi-talented group of young players finished fifth at the recent Upper North Island regional tournament to qualify for nationals for the first time.

The team is looking forward to going, said captain Lasalle Lefale. “This is the first time for our team and the first time for our school at Nationals and we are excited to be there.”

Captain Lasalle is also the only year 13 player in a youthful group going to Nationals. “I’m only 17 as well, as we have got a few year 12s and year 11s and one year 10 as well.”
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Lasalle, who plays goal attack, goal shoot and wing attack, has been in the Premier team for three years, starting off when Howick College were in the B Grade.

Howick’s rise has been steady over the past five years. In 2013 they were 6th in the B Grade of the UNISS tournament, in 2014 they were 13th in the B grade, in 2015 they won B Grade to earn promotion, in 2016 they finished 10th in the A Grade and this year they rose to fifth.

The top six placed teams qualified from UNISS for nationals.

Going into the last day of the UNISS tournament Howick had to beat Hamilton Girls’ High School to secure their historic berth for Rotorua. They won that 42-23 “That was probably the most important game for us, so it was good to win well over them,” said Lasalle.

Howick College then beat another Hamilton school, St Paul’s, in the playoff for fifth and sixth, 32-21. “The day before that we lost to them so we had to play them again and we won.”

“A key game for us at the UNISS tournament was beating St Kent’s. We won by one [29-28] in our second round of pool games and they went on to win the tournament. That gave us confidence, especially for our young girls.”

Howick plays St Kent's again in their very first match at Nationals on Tuesday week, and are also meet Palmerston North Girls' High School late on day one. 
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Nanise Waqaira and Iva Livani were both selected in the 20-player UNISS tournament team afterwards.  

Situated in nearby Pakuranga, St Kent’s are a rival school to Howick College. “Another school that we have good sporting battles against is One Tree Hill College.”

Howick also came fifth in the Auckland Premier competition this year. The team’s motto is ‘Up the Waka’, after the Howick College emblem.

Lasalle said the team has a strong bond and they band together well when the going gets tough. “Because we are close in ages, everyone is really close with each other and we are one big family.”

“A playing strength of our team is our height. We have got three giants in our team! We have got one in the shooting end and two tall defenders.”

Howick’s team is multi-talented. “Most of us play sevens, touch and volleyball as well. Basically everybody is playing other sports!”

The first week of the school holidays next week promises to be busy. As well as preparing for the netball Nationals, five members of the squad have a New Zealand schoolgirls rugby sevens trial on Friday.
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Howick College originally had eight players out of 120 throughout the country for those rugby sevens trials. One has since injured herself while five of them are netball girls - captain Lasalle, Shalom Setu-Veve, Iva Livani, Teuila Sotutu and Jennifer-Rose Reu. 

Defending national champions Saint Kentigern College, Manukura and St Hilda’s Collegiate won the three respective regional Premier A Grade netball tournaments during last week’s Winter Tournament Week.

St Kent’s won the Upper North Island tournament in Auckland, Manukura the Lower North Island Tournament in New Plymouth and St Hilda’s the South Island Tournament in Christchurch.

The three schools will enter October’s NZSS 16-school tournament Rotorua as the top seeds from their regions.

Upper North Island Tournament

St Kent’s edged their great rivals and last year’s UNISS champions Mount Albert Grammar School 39-38 in the final. St Kent’s and MAGS had also been grouped in the same pool, with St Kent’s winning their round-robin match 39-29.

In the semi-finals earlier in the day, St Kent’s had beaten Waikato Dio 41-27, while MAGS has beaten Epsom Girls’ Grammar School 28-27. Howick College beat St Paul’s Collegiate 32-21 in the fifth v sixth match.

The six teams that qualified from the UNISS region for the NZSS nationals were:
1. St Kent’s;2. MAGS; 3. EGGS; 4.Waikato Dio; 5. Howick College; 6. St Paul’s Collegiate

The A Grade Pool winners earlier in the week were: St Kent’s, EGGS, One Tree Hill College, Aorere College, St Cuthert’s College, St Peter’s College, Trident High School and Rotorua Girls’ High School.

Whangaparaoa College won the UNISS B Grade tournament, McAuley won the C Grade and Mercury Bay College the D Grade.

Saint Kentigern College’s Tayla Earle was the Midcourter and Player of the Tournament, MAGS’ Lahaina-Lee Upu-Toparea was the Shooter of the Tournament and EGGS’ Greer Sinclair was the Defender of the Tournament.

The UNISS A Grade Tournament Team was:
Theresa Ngata (Aorere College), Bianca Nagaiya (EGGS), Greer Sinclair (EGGS), Tamara Leoni (EGGS), Hannah Riddle-Pelchen (Hamilton GHS), Lyanne Eukaliti (Hillcrest HS), Naise Waqaira (Howick), Iva Livani (Howick),  Lahaina-Lee Upu-Toparea (MAGS), Armani Lam (MAGS), Maddy Gordon (MAGS), Ruby Young (MAGS), Tori Kolose (St Kent’s), Tayla Earle (St Kent’s), Ashleigh Garner (St Kent’s), Kate Littlejohn (St Paul’s), Lisa Mather (St Peter’s), Ki-Tana Tuhakaraina (St Peter’s), Khiarna Williams (Trident HS), Ali Wilshier (Waikato Dio)

 Lower North Island Tournament

Manukura from Palmerston North finished third at last year’s NZSS Nationals and successfully defended their title in New Plymouth on Friday.

Manukura beat St Mary’s College 44-30 in the final.

Manukura had beaten Queen Margaret College 43-17 in their semi-final, while St Mary’s had defeated Palmerston North GHS 43-23.

Palmerston North GHS beat Queen Margaret College 27-23 in the playoff for third and fourth and Sacred Heart College Lower Hutt beat Newlands College 49-26 in the playoff for fifth and sixth match.

Wairarapa College won the B Grade division, with Wanganui  Girls  College second.

The five teams that qualified for the top 16 NZSS nationals from the Lower North Island tournament were:
1. Manukura; 2. St Mary’s; 3.  Palmerston North GHS; 4. Queen Margaret College, 5. Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt.

The A Grade Tournament Team was:
Edyn  Boyes ()Palmerston North GHS),  Beyonce  Rehutai Wellington  East Girls College), Tiuana-Marie  Aiono (Queen Margaret  College), Braxton  Te Rini (Manukura), Saviour  Tui (St Mary’s), Asher  Grapes (Hastings GHS), Ainsleyana  Puleiata (St Mary’s), Diahn  Tepania-Strickland (Manukura), Brooke  Neilson (New Plymouth GHS), Grace  McLean (Queen Margaret  College), Jaydi  Chaffey-Taylor (Napier GHS), Paris  Lokotui (Queen Margaret  College), Diaz  Tepania-Strickland (Manukura) Paige  Neilson (New Plymouth GHS), Liana  Mikaele-Tuu (Hastings GHS), Lin  Tokalautawa (Palmerston North GHS),  Antonia  HeiHei (Manukura)

South Island Tournament

Dunedin’s St Hilda’s Collegiate defended the title they won last year, beating St Andrew’s College 38-33 in the final.

St Margaret’s College beat Columba College 37-32 in the playoff for third and fourth, while Christchurch Girls’ High School defeated Southland Girls’ High School 33-29 to finish fifth.

The five schools that qualified for the NZSS nationals are:
1. St Hilda’s Collegiate; 2. St Andrew’s College; 3. St Margaret’s College; 4. Columba College; 5. Christchurch Girls’ High School

Of note, Columba College were seeded in 15th coming into the tournament and Christchurch GHS 11th, while Southland GHS who featured in last year’s nationals were seeded fourth but finished seventh.

Blue Mountain won the B Grade and Fiordland College won the C Grade.