At 25, Kristiana Manu’a has already faced some incredibly tough challenges in her professional netball career.
Key points:
- Manu’a was the first player in Super Netball history to be sent off the court last year
- She says she learned from the experience and is using it as motivation
- The Giants player spends much of her time working with disability service What Ability
The Giants Netball defender was signed to the club’s inaugural squad in 2017, but sat out the first season of Super Netball after rupturing her Achilles tendon and having to learn how to walk again.
Eighteen months later, Manu’a made her debut for the Giants in their second season, becoming a regular feature of their defence and working her way into a starting GD role once Australian stalwart Bec Bulley retired.
Manu’a was tested again last year when she became the first player in Super Netball to be sent off the court.
The incident was so heavily debated that it drew the attention of many people outside the netball community and although there were some loud voices in her corner — such as Diamonds great Liz Ellis, who described the ruling as “entirely unwarranted” — the extra scrutiny on an already frustrating season took its toll.
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“Looking back, it definitely wasn’t the best time in my career but my family helped me get through it,” Manu’a told ABC Sport.
“I was in constant contact with them every day and it showed me there was a big community behind me and just how strong our team culture is.
“But hopefully the game will grow because of it too, so we can all do better.”
The Giants were one of the teams that struggled to get the best out of their side in 2020, having been given less than 24 hours notice to scramble to Queensland to enter the Super Netball hub.
They also expressed their distaste for the two-point super shot before the season began.
They were constantly in the headlines for their tactics surrounding the new rule and how it affected Australian Diamonds skipper Caitlin Bassett’s game time, which ultimately led to her decision to leave Super Netball to find an opportunity in New Zealand this year.
The Giants finished their first season without inaugural captain Kim Green in their worst-ever placing at sixth, having won just five of their 14 games.
The past week, the club has got back to business with their preseason training. Manu’a said the group was really eager to move forward and feeling positive about the upcoming season.
“There are some new faces and it feels like a good vibe, so I think everyone definitely needed the break,” she said.
“I really think all the challenges that were thrown at us last year were meant to happen. It’s strengthened our culture and our belief in the support system we have within the group.
“We had to have each other’s backs during the 2020 season because we were away from all our family and friends, and we’re going to build on those bonds in this upcoming season.”
With COVID-19 infection numbers improving around the country but some border closures still in place, Manu’a said the Giants were well aware they might have to play the 2021 season in a hub again.
But she said the Giants would be much better prepared if that was the case and that hub life would not be so troubling.
“We’ve spoken about it in passing, and this time around we feel like we’d definitely be more confident and up for it,” Manu’a said.
“We’d know what we have to do and it would be easier to just go and get the job done, without overthinking and worrying about the whole situation.”
A passion outside of netball
Manu’a has been busy this summer working with What Ability, a disability service founded by Steve Dresler that sees athletes take children living with a disability out to do fun things for the day.
Sports stars from a range of sports including netball, rugby league, cricket and touch football are involved.
Manu’a said it had become a passion during her time working in this space.
“What Ability is an NDIS-registered service that’s only been running for just over a year, but when Steve started it he only had about five to six kids on board and now he’s got over 80 kids,” she said.
“[The] majority of the children have autism but they all range on the spectrum and depending on how severe their autism is, [that] will depend on how many carers are required.
“So I’ve worked with kids that require two carers and I’ve worked with children one-on-one as well.”
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Manu’a has also developed a special bond with 11-year-old Owen Heffron.
“[The] majority of the kids love swimming or just going to the park or trampoline land, but their parents put things in their profiles that they like,” she said.
“We found out that Owen was obsessed with bridges, so I have taken him to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we go on the ferries as well.
“He was one of the first kids I looked after one-on-one, so he holds a special place in my heart.”
