Rising Exposure For Netball Central’s Men

In a budding partnership, the first steps of an on-going commitment to supporting men’s netball in the Central Zone have been taken with the naming of a 16-strong Central Men’s team.

Open trials were held to select the team during the weekend and in a first for the Zone, the team will participate in the annual Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse pre-season tournament to be held in Ōtaki on April 11 – 13.

A squad of 16 has been chosen to cover for injury while also giving more players opportunities to learn, and features some well-known and accomplished players.

With future playing opportunities now firmly on the calendar, former New Zealand Men’s representative Daniel Jefferies has been lured out of retirement and will add plenty of punch along with electric Net Blacks FAST5 men’s team members Thomson Matuku and Elliot Clark. Matuku was Men’s Player of the Year in 2023.

Terehei Tamariki was a member of the New Zealand Men’s & Mixed Netball Association (NZMMNA) Mixed team that travelled to Canberra last year to compete against Australia in a trans-Tasman series that the NZMMNA Mixed team won 2-1.

Michael Clarke is a former member of the NZMMNA Mixed team who also won the trans-Tasman series in Auckland in 2022 and will bring plenty of experience to the team.

Kyle Owen and Stefan Swartz are both former NZMMNA U23 representatives and were also members of the inaugural New Zealand Men’s FAST5 team that won in 2022.

Arama Jackson is a Hawke’s Bay representative, who also represented Rotorua last year at the NZMMNA Nationals. Previously he was a member of the Mystics Men’s team in 2023.

Charlie Harris, Lockie McLaren, Max Fagan and Rawiri Mackey represented Wellington at the NZMMNA Nationals in the B Team and are a testament to the depth of talent developing in the Central Zone.

Robert King is a former Australian age-grade representative and with Clark is an Australian Men’s Open National Champion 2023 representing the West Coast Men’s and Mixed Netball Association.

Returning from injury, Miguel Ahfuni is a dynamic and powerful midcourter and is also a former Australian age-grade representative and an Australian U23 Men’s National Champion, representing Queensland.

Jaz Simpson is an athletic defender who hails from the Taranaki region and has formerly represented Waikato Tainui and more recently Waitara Whānui at NZMMNA Nationals.

Ariki Tongia has come through the age grade pathways at WMMNA to be a consistent selection in the Wellington A team for the last few years despite still qualifying for U23s and was a NZ National Champion in 2023 with this team.

Central Men’s team:

Head coach: Ali Colledge
Assistant coach: Ponifasio Smith
Management team: Rhys Egan and Ellen Miles

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