No budget to try to qualify for Commonwealth Games

SAMOA – Samoa will miss next year’s Commonwealth Games netball tournament because there is no money in the squad’s budget for any further test matches before the qualifying cut-off date in June.

Samoa haven’t played an international since the 2015 World Cup, where they finished in 10th place.

New head coach Frances Solia said their only fixtures this year will be at the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu in December – however those won’t be classed as full test matches, or have rankings points attached.

“It will be a good test for all of us,” she said.

“It’s not a qualifying event, so we don’t get any points, but what it does do is it allows us to kind of see who can play at an international level and who’s able to take the pressure.

“Because it’s so hot over there, mentally they’ve got to be tough to play day-in day-out.”

The top 12 ranked nations at the end of June will qualify for Commonwealth Games at Australia’s Gold Coast in 2018 but with Samoa currently ranked 14th, they will miss out.

“We’d have to play two or three internationals to qualify for the Commonweath Games and we’d have to play those games before the end of June,” she said.

“So we’d have to take on Barbados, Northern Ireland and Scotland – and win them to qualify. We’d love to, but it’s not in the budget. Samoa can’t afford all that.”

Fiji is poised to make its Commonwealth netball return, however.

The Pearls last featured at the 2006 Games in Melbourne but missed the last two events because of Fiji’s suspension from the Commonwealth.

With a current world ranking of seventh, Fiji sit comfortably inside the qualifying requirements for Gold Coast 2018.

- RNZI