Fiji beckons for former Rotorua netballer

Former Rotorua Girls' High School student Tayla Earle will bring experience to the Aotearoa Maori Netball International Secondary School team.

The team will compete at the International Under-19 Schools Challenge in Fiji later this month.

Earle, 17, who plays at centre or wing defence, was a member of the Maori Netball team that, in 2015, travelled to Kuala Lumpur and won the International Schoolgirls Netball Challenge. At that stage she was a Year 10 student.

Now in Year 12 at St Kentigern College in Auckland, Earle was also a member of the New Zealand team that won last year's International Secondary Schoolgirls' netball competition in Auckland, beating School Sport Australia 31-21 in the final.

She was part of the St Kentigern College national secondary schools title winning team.

Earle said she was proud to be once again selected for the Aotearoa Maori Netball team.

"I'm excited, it should be a good experience," she said. And she is hoping for more success.

"I'm pretty confident, we've got a good team."

The team will go into camp on May 10 then fly to Fiji on May 13, returning eight days later.

"I'm just happy to be able to play with everyone again," she said.

Earle sees her sporting future on the netball court and has ambitions to play for the Silver Ferns.

She said she had considered trialling for the Beko Netball League teams ahead of this year's competition, but decided she might still be too young and intends to try out for the 2018 competition.

The Beko Netball League is a domestic competition that sits under the ANZ Championship.

High performance camps held earlier in the year gave the Aotearoa Maori Netball International Secondary School team head coach Rebecca Gabel an opportunity to work with identified talented players throughout the country nominated by their waka (regions).

Trialists were selected following Aotearoa Maori Netball's 30th national tournament played at Easter in Manurewa.

"Trials were hugely competitive and the 24 players who attended made the decision really difficult," said Gabel.

"I'm very excited. We have a fantastic mix of experienced players who have been in our team and a part of our programme before together with some really new and exciting players."

Whakatane's Khiarna Williams is also in the team to travel to Fiji.