Orange High School (OHS) Hornets stars Milika and Tabua Tuinakauvadra are determined to make a splash in this year’s Orange Netball Association Toyota Cup.
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The sisters – 17 and 15 respectively – don’t want the school side to be just making up the numbers as the competition heads into round three.
While the Hornets haven’t racked up a win in their opening two games, the sisters say the side has been going well and the determination is there.
“The girls want to prove ourselves that we can actually be in division one and we’ve been pushing it and committed to the team,” Milika said.
“It’s been going pretty well, we had some new girls in the team and some girls who haven’t played netball over the holidays so to come back and be playing the way we’re playing has been pretty good.”
Tabua, who has faced the heat of division one before while playing with the Orange Physiotherapy Vipers, said the side is “warming up” to division one.
“If anything it’s been more intense than I remember because of how Orange City have been going, so it’s pushing the rest of us to go harder and it’s a bit more harder netball,” she said.
The difference between the Hornets and the other sides isn’t size, but experience.
“Some of the other ladies have been playing div one for over 10 years so they know what to do, but us high school girls, it comes down to experience in the last few quarters,” Milika said.
Milika and Tabua are in the heat of the action, both playing in the defensive arc as goalkeeper and goal defence – and as you might expect from sisters, sparks can occasionally fly.
“I think it’s good to be playing in the back together, I’m not afraid to tell her what she’s going wrong, like I don’t really care I’ll just tell her,” Tabua said.
“Often it’s just us yelling at each other, but we play representative netball together so it makes us easier for us to know what we’re doing.”
Milika agreed, saying the shouting is “mainly constructive”.
Mainly.
“If one of us does something stupid, mainly me but, it’ll get like…,” she said, looking at her sister.
“Frustrated,” Tabua finished.
The sisters have been picked in the Western Combined High Schools side to head to Maitland in two weeks, playing against the tough Sydney sides and against other regional areas.
They said representative coach Mikayla Riley had been a big influence on them, as had Tegan Dray and other OHS coaches
They also mentioned their closest fan, their mum.
“She loves to come and watch, she always goes live on Facebook and it’s so embarrassing and cheers really loudly,” they said, while mentioning their dad will also come along when he can.
The Hornets play the Hawks Royals this Saturday at 3.50 on Court A at Sir Neville Howse Stadium.
In Saturday’s other games Life Studio takes on Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical from 1.10pm, Orange City Newey’s Drive-Thru Cleaners plays Hawks DVM and Life Studio Mid West Eyes plays Vipers, the two latter games are both at 2.30pm.