Tongan netball players Viviena Hafoka and Seilala Sikuvea are currently at Bond University, Australia, as part of PacificAus Sports and Netball Australia high performance program, where, among other firsts they have done a crash course into elite-level strength and conditioning.

The Immersion provides athletes with exposure to high-performance netball programs, competitions, expert coaching and high-performance support services. Athletes also have access to professional development and off-court education opportunities.

Bond Univeristy Sport website published an interview with the athletes yesterday, 12 July.

“The game is so fast paced at this level, and I love the way the players communicate with each other in the middle of all that fast movement”, said Seilala, an athletic defender.

For Viviena, it’s been a visit made up of many firsts. “Viviena could hardly believe her eyes when she wandered into a local supermarket “Strawberries!” of which she never tried before. Also was her first trip away from her island home, first proper pair of netball shoes, first blood test, and certainly her first experience of what an elite netball program looks like.”

The Bond's Sapphire team captain Hannah Le Sage, has been doing intensive one-on-one shooting training with Viviena.

Head of Netball Operations at Bond University, Kim Boland said, the program is particularly good for a university-based netball franchise because it allows a steep learning curve to be readily accessible.

“The girls do pre-program and post-program physical testing so our physiotherapists here at Bond get involved."

In addition to really rigorous training and learning, there’s also sports-medical testing through the Health and Medicine Faculty, where they sorted eyetests and also shouted both girls new netball shoes.

A crash course into elite-level strength and conditioning was eye-opening for Seilala, and both agreed they’ll be taking plenty of invaluable information home with them.

Meanwhile, the Bull Sharks netball family has rallied around its temporary new recruits. Gisinger family, (Jorja and Joesi Gisinger both play for the Bull Sharks) who are very proudly connected to their Tongan heritage took the girls out for a big family dinner.

Viviena and Seilala will be at Bond until August, and for the remainder of their time, they’ll train with the Bull Sharks Elite Premier League Development squad and Under 18s State Titles team.

The PacificAus Sports and Netball Australia Immersion program, designed to create pathways for emerging Pacific athletes to benefit from high performance coaching and training. The Immersion provides athletes with exposure to high-performance netball programs, competitions, expert coaching and high-performance support services. Athletes also have access to professional development and off-court education opportunities.