Luciana Nicholas. 19081634
Netball Cook Islands has selected a 15-member local squad to represent the country at the inaugural PacificAus Sports Netball Challenge in Brisbane this November.
The team will be coached by former national skipper Luciana Nicholas. The squad includes Dannielle Arona, Vaitea Crocombe Ama, Ivana Hunter-Misky, Tashi Kopu, Jordayn Matutu, Charlee Mclean, Tuaana Mitchell, Mary Ngamata, Feliza Nicholas, Mokoroa (Rianna) Pepe, Mere-Jean Piri, Mele Poaru, India Smith, Savannah Sullivan and Aleida Tere.
The PacificAus Sports Netball Challenge 2026 will be held at Nissan Arena in Brisbane, Australia.
Netball Cook Islands president Ngere Puia-Fraser also confirmed the team coaching staff.
Head coach Nicholas will be assisted by Avatiu’s Marjorie Toru.
The team will travel to Brisbane on November 19 where they will face Samoa in the opening match on November 23 (Australia time).
“This is purely local-based players. That was the requirement for this tournament,” Puia-Fraser said.
She added that a 15-player squad, five management team members, four officials, two umpires and two bench officials will be traveling, with the entire trip funded by Netball Australia.
When asked about the lessons learned from the 2026 World Cup Regional Qualifiers in Tonga, Puia-Fraser said the new team could not be compared to the squad that played in that tournament.
“This is the first tournament of its kind. It’s the inaugural Pacific-Aus Sports Netball Challenge, purely for local based players and management.”
She acknowledged all the athletes’ families, as well as their clubs, for their support.
“I will admit that it wasn’t very easy selecting a team. Only because this is a development, this is all about developing our up and coming athletes.”
Puia-Fraser noted that scheduling the tournament during school exams created selection challenges, as they had to avoid picking players who were busy with or affected by their exams.
“I’m very happy with the team that has been selected. I do understand that they have been training about three times a week. They do their own personal training in between. It is very exciting for all of us.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the girls in action, playing against the other teams who are all local-based players. I’m happy with the commitment from our head coach and co-coach to ensure the girls will be game-ready for this tournament.”
Puia-Fraser said she understands that the players and management have work and family commitments, and they have tried to make everything fit around everyone’s schedule.
The teams competing in the tournament are Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Cook Islands.
The tournament is hosted by Netball Australia and supported by the Australian Government through the PacificAus Sports Programme.