The Cook Islands national netball wider squad for the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands in November was announced yesterday.

The squad includes Mati Toru, Maeva Carr, Nicole Tiaore, Tatiana Fatialofa, Alex Iro, Ailish Akavi, Alanna Smith, Jamie Iro, Lenae Tiaiti, Simone Nicholas, Romehael Rauraa, Greta Remuera, Charlie McClean, Eri Te Ana Short, Natalia Short, Rochelle Teiti, Iva Piakura, Maya Piakura, Mere-Jean Piri, Norma Pepe, Aleida Tere, Leah Pue, Curly Taripo, Elena Mataora and Rachel Tuaputa.  

The association also announced Joy Bates as the coach with Rima Moeka’a appointed as the “local counterpart” and the manager is Tekura Moeka’a. 

Rima Moeka’a will be charged with preparing the local players based in Rarotonga, for the highly anticipated Pacific Games.

Cook Islands won the gold medal at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.

In a statement, Netball Cook Islands president Mii Maui said: “We are delighted to have Rima step up and prepare the local players while head coach Joy Bates will prepare players from New Zealand and Australia.”

She said Moeka’a and Bates had the full support of Netball Cook Islands going forward.

Maui said the selection process for the squad was conducted through trials held in March and April both in Rarotonga and Auckland this year. 

“The Rarotonga netball season played a crucial role in assessing their abilities, and importantly also, it provided an opportunity to select new talents from in the premier grades.”

Maui expressed her satisfaction with the upcoming squad.

“This is a year of rebuilding, and it was promising to see the youth in the reserves and premier teams playing good and basic netball."

She said the organisation aims to nurture and develop young talents while focusing on building a strong foundation for the sport in the Cook Islands. 

The final national team for the 2023 Pacific Games will be named on Friday, July 7.

Netball Cook Islands says that until then, the first meeting of the national squad is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 13 at the CISNOC Office at 5 pm, where the team will discuss expectations and set the tone for their upcoming training sessions and competitions.

Also, a Under-21 development squad will be named next week, and will join the national team as they prepare for the World Youth Cup in 2024. 

Meanwhile, Netball Cook Islands secretary Tekura Moekaa said there are still fundraisers in the pipeline over the course of the next few months to help the team get to the Solomon Islands. 

After wrapping up the Rarotonga netball season on Saturday, Netball Cook Islands organised a beach netball tournament fundraiser on Monday.

Moekaa said around 14 teams joined with good vibes at the Nikao beach court.

She said the teams were divided into pools and they had up to six games each – or nine games if they made it to finals.

First place was Rehab Rolly Pollies followed by Team Black Rock and Frog Eyes in second and third places, respectively.

The best dressed teams were Rehab Rolly Pollies and Brew Crew.

Moekaa acknowledged all teams that registered, and those that supported the fundraiser.