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Scotland has been invited to take part in Netball Australia’s South Pacific-based PacificAus series next February.
The series returns to Brisbane’s Nissan Arena from February 17-22, 2025, and is supported by the federal government.
The 2025 competition will include Fiji (Pearls), Papua New Guinea (Pepes), Samoa (Tifa Moana) and reigning four-time champions Tonga (Tala).
They will be joined by returning invitees Australian First Nations (Black Swans), who made their debut in this year’s series.
Invitees Scotland have only had seven matches against Pacific Islands since the 2015 Netball World Cup, says Netball Australia (NA).
Thistles head coach Kath Tetley is excited about competing in the tournament.
“The series has been hugely popular in the Southern Hemisphere in recent years; for the Thistles to have the opportunity see, learn and grow from the event will be fantastic,” she says.
“Every game will be a great battle. The recent Pacific matches have been fierce and hard-fought, with their creativity and flair, so it is a great challenge for us to be sharp, alert and reactive to the variables in front of us.”
Since they joined the PacificAus program in 2021, the PNG Pepes rose 13 ranking positions in two years; from 42nd in 2022 to 29th.
Pepes head coach Lua Rikis is also enthusiastic about February’s competition.
“Exposure to international tournaments in the last two years helped the PNG Pepes rise in the world rankings,” she said.
“This will be my first international event as Pepes Head Coach so I am excited and nervous at the same time because this comes with a lot of expectations.
“We are clear as a team on what we want to achieve at this tournament. Our main aim for this series is to maintain consistency and be competitive.”
Black Swans engagement manager Beryl Friday is looking forward to seeing her players compete in a high-performance environment.
“It’s a chance to introduce new players to a culturally safe high-performance environment, demonstrating those high-performance behaviour and build their capacity and skillset to re-enter their home pathway program with confidence,” Friday said.
“The series is a great opportunity for the squad to get out on court together and start building connections,” she says.
“It’s an opportunity to highlight their individual strengths and playing diversity while demonstrating the natural skill and flair that First Nations athletes possess.
The full fixture will be announced next year, according to Netball Australia.
