To play a sport at a high level is one thing but to represent your country doing something you love is a whole other feeling.
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Family and a love for their country has always been at the heart of Anastasia Afoa's and Ky-Mani Schwenke's netball journeys.
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This historic achievement is the first time that any South Coast Blaze athlete has been selected to play for an international team, a feat that truly is impressive for the two stars.
Wednesday saw the duo take the court together for the first time.
Anastasia who's a talented defender said she feels so blessed and grateful for the opportunity she's been given and the chance to represent both her country and family.
"My family plays a big role in my netball journey & to have the chance to represent where we came from is one of the best feelings in the world," she said.
She said it's fantastic to be able to play and train with such experienced players and the amount she has learnt from them has helped her progression immensely.
"Being a part of this community has taught me a lot of ins and outs of the netball world. I am very excited to debut and put on that blue dress to showcase what we're made of and who we are."
Ky-Mani who's known as a skilled shooter has stated that the skills learned from her fellow Samoan teammates have been her personal highlight thus far.
"It is such an honour to train with experienced players who have previously been in the last World Cup," she said.
"They have taught me some new things that I haven't used so far as a holding GS (Goal Shooter)."
"I'm so glad to have made the cut to play for Samoa and to represent my family, especially my grandparents," she said.
The inaugural PacificAus Sports Netball Series aims to provide high-level competition for the national teams of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. Singapore has also been invited to participate in the series.
IMB South Coast Blaze Chairperson Karina Franke said that they couldn't be more proud of the two selected athletes.
"I congratulate both players on this incredible achievement and I know they'll make our Blaze family proud," she said.
"Being able to play in an international team will bring more breadth of experience and skills to both Ky-Mani and Anastasia, which will benefit the U23s side immensely."
The upcoming competition will mark the first time since the start of the pandemic that teams have participated in an international competition.
For more information visit Netball Australia: https://netball.com.au/pacificaus-sports-netball-series