Royal Honour For Pulse Defender

Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse import Kelea Iongi has put the stamp on an eventful year in her budding netball career after being honoured at a special ceremony by the King and Queen of Tonga.

In 2022, the small Pacific Island nation grabbed the netball world’s attention when qualifying for the 2023 Netball World Cup and in the process making the cut for a global event for the first time.

Defender Iongi was part of the successful qualifying campaign and consequently named vice-captain for the World Cup where Tonga’s dramatic rise in fortune continued.

At the World Cup, Tonga went on to leave a sizeable impression after finishing eighth of the 16 competing teams. Their results and highest-ever world ranking resulting in a major boost for netball’s popularity in Tonga and a world-wide audience.

As a result, the King and Queen of Tonga recently conducted a Medal Investiture ceremony for the 2022 team that qualified Tonga, the highest honour given by the King in recognition of service for The Kingdom of Tonga.

For Iongi, it was a dream come true, the July 6 ceremony providing the perfect present for her 24th birthday on July 5 and a reunion with her Tonga Tala team-mates.

Embracing its significance, the Pulse were more than happy for Iongi to attend.

``I was so happy when the Pulse management gave me the okay to go because I know it is right at the business end of the season and I always had the team front of mind so I thought it would be a 50-50 decision,’’ she said.

``But they understood how big an honour it was to me and my family, and I’m just so grateful to them for letting me take up the opportunity.

``It was very special. It’s a big honour to receive this sort of recognition, especially from the King, himself and it’s really big, not only for myself but also my family.

``I’m quite speechless about the whole thing. We’ve just chosen to play for Tonga and we really didn’t expect a lot back and so being given this honour and all that’s come with it is one of the highlights of my netball career.’’

In a whirlwind perfectly-timed trip between matches, Iongi arrived in Tonga on July 3 and left straight after the ceremony on the last flight out of Tonga on July 6 to be back in time for Monday’s tight match against the Magic.

Seeking a new opportunity to expand her game, Iongi jumped at the opportunity to cross the Tasman and ply her trade with the Pulse this season. The Sydney-sider is a former Australian U21 and U19 representative and has been a training partner with both the Swifts and Giants in Australia’s Super Netball League.

``I’ve enjoyed my time with the Pulse a lot,’’ she said. ``The girls are very close off-court which I think shows when we’re on-court. Whoever goes out on court can just click with anyone and everyone. The coach can put on anyone and they will do their job, and that has shown through the injuries we’ve had during the season. We’re a very tight-knit bunch.

``It has definitely been rewarding and big on growth for my own personal game.’

Originally a goalkeeper or goal defence, Iongi has added to her repertoire by learning the finer arts of wing defence during her time with the Pulse. 

She is looking forward to continuing to play netball for Tonga and hopes more international fixtures can be arranged for the side to help maintain and build on their progress.

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