Tara Murray
From being one of the surprise packets at the Netball World Cup for Tonga, to virtually stepping off a plane and into a Victorian Netball League grand final, it’s been a whirlwind few weeks for City West Falcons Uneeq Palavi.
It was a tired Palavi that stepped onto the court for the Falcons in the second quarter of the VNL grand final on Wednesday night, having only just flown back in from South Africa.
While she only played a quarter, Palavi was thrilled to cap off a big few weeks with the championships.
“It feels great I never doubted my girls,” she said. “I flew back in at 12pm and had a two hour nap and came straight here.
“It was adrenaline. I had a Red Bull before I came and it helped me along. Even though I didn’t get much court time, I’m still proud to be part of it.”
Palavi said the Tongan experience had been an amazing one and one that was still settling in.
Representing the country through her father’s heritage, Palavi had a breakout tournament which left fans watching at home in awe.
She finished fourth in the number of goals scored in the tournament which was led by Jamaican star Jhaniele Fowler.
The Tongan side finished in eighth spot, a remarkable feat considering they didn’t have a team last World Cup.
“It was so good,” she said. “It was so surreal getting to watch Australia, England, New Zealand and Jamaica and not only watching them, but being able to play against the same players.
“It was so surreal, I never thought I would get that opportunity.”
The biggest match for the Tongan team at the event was against Australia, which would ultimately claim the World Cup.
Palavi said it was a really good experience and it was something that she wanted to do again. The match had another highlight, getting to play with her sister Beyonce Palavi for the first time at the cup.
“It was so good it made me emotional,” she said. “The first few minutes we got on the court together for the Australian game, brought tears to my eyes, but I didn’t want to show it on TV.
“I waited until we got back to the hotel and I was a bit emotional.”
One of the highlights for the Tongan side was the combination of Pavali and former New Zealand international Cat Tuivaiti, who is now representing Tongan.
Tuivaiti, who is known for ‘showtime’ and excitement on the court, is one person that inspires Palavi.
“She has been my idol since I was under-17 state,” she said. “I remember in Adelaide for the nationals she was there playing [Adelaide] Thunderbirds that year and I took a photo with her and I was so starstruck.
“Playing with her now is so surreal, she’s still my idol, but my friend now. I’m going to add some of her stuff to my game, hopefully it looks as good as she does.”
Palavi said she was still getting messages about her performance on the world stage and it was a big push for her to keep going. She said the Falcons coaches in Marg Lind and Jacinta Todd had allowed her to combine the VNL and World Cup and continued to push her.
Palavi said she’s hoping her performances might lead to some interest from Super Netball teams, with every position in the competition up for grabs in.
“Hopefully I get a few offers,” she said. “I’ve had quite a few offers from England but I don’t think I could move that far just yet.”
