Tara Murray
If you’re going to interrupt a school assembly then you better have a good reason and rising netball star Amalani Fauonuku had exactly that.
The City West Falcons and Sunbury Lions player was last week named in the Australian under-17 squad following the national championships.
She is one of 36 athletes picked in the initial squad and will participate in a training camp in July at the Australian Institute of Sport.
For Fauonuku, the news she made the squad came as a huge shock especially as she is bottom age.
“It was a surprise and it really caught me off guard but I’m really happy about it,” she said.
“They gave me an email and I was actually in the middle of an assembly and when I got the email and I gave out a really big gasp and everyone started looking at me and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m okay’.
“I was shocked, I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”
Fauonuku said she had a mixed national championships with illness early in the tournament, before she warmed into it.
It follows her being part of the Victorian school state team last season.
“It’s been a pretty good 12 months,” she said. “I’ve been happy with my netball so far, but I’ve obviously got some more to learn and do.”
Fauonuku said she wanted to make the final Australian team saying it would be amazing if she did.
The journey to the Australian under-17 squad is a long way for the girl who didn’t like the sport.
“I’ve always played netball but I started out actually hating netball,” she said. “It’s a bit weird now, that it’s kind of my passion now.
“I guess always being around it with my sister in it, I got used to it. At one point I was like I’ve just got to enjoy it. I always look forward to playing netball now.”
Fauonuku is one of the youngest players in the City West Falcons under-23 squad in the Victorian Netball League, while she’s the youngest in the Sunbury Lions A-grade squad in the Ballarat Netball League.
She said it was something that she was used to.
“I’ve been playing in older age groups my whole netball career,” she said. “It’s still something I’m getting used to as well. Sunbury is good practice for VNL.”
Fauonuku isn’t the only netball star in her family with her older sister Lucia part of the City West Falcons championship squad.
Lucia also played for Tongan at the world championships last year.
Amalani has a different goal in mind.
“I’m hardy Australian,” she said. “I reckon I’m going to try and go for Australia.”
