Puleiata Completes Comeback To Join Pulse Midcourt Stalwarts

August 27, 2024

The sparkling play of Ainsleyana Puleiata will make a welcome return when she joins the established trio of Maddy Gordon, Fa’amu Ioane and Whitney Souness as the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse midcourters for the 2025 ANZ Premiership netball league.

Long earmarked as a special talent, Puleiata, 24, has experienced more challenges than most after a run of serious knee injuries threatened to derail her promising career. Blessed with an abundance of speed and creativity, Puleiata has endured lengthy rehabilitation spells after suffering three anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures in six years (2017 – 2023).

With proven performers in Gordon, Ioane and Souness, the Pulse have a formidable midcourt, the flexibility of Puleiata adding another layer to the dynamics.

Puleiata was the 2022 National Netball League (NNL) Player of the Year, is a former NZU21 player and gained her first full contract with the Pulse in 2023, the season barely four weeks old when she suffered her third ACL rupture.

``The consistency of selection and being able to retain Maddy, Fa’amu and Whitney is incredibly important to us,’’ Netball Central Director of High Performance Waimarama Taumaunu said.

``Stability of tenure always makes a difference when you’re trying to build new connections, and with Maddy’s lengthy injury this year we didn’t have the opportunity to see the quality of play that we had seen in the pre-season. We were just coming back to it and starting to make inroads into that again but we were playing in the final by that stage.

``We’re delighted to have retained all three. We think we’ve got the best midcourt in the country and we’re delighted to welcome back Ainsleyana who can slot in to any one of those positions.

``That versatility meant that, sadly, we have farewelled Parris Petera, who improved enormously this year and was a valuable team member. But at this point, we were looking for someone who could slot into wing defence, centre and wing attack and Ainsleyana’s defensive game made the difference.’’

Gordon has become a permanent fixture and will be back in Pulse colours for a seventh season in 2025. A super quick and skilful midcourter with a non-stop engine, Gordon’s all-round credentials enable her to slip comfortably between all three central court positions.

The 2023 ANZ Premiership Player of the Year, Gordon is accurate and consistent with her ball skills, movement and feeding on attack, while equally reliable on defence through her relentless disruptive hunting and speed.

Hard-working midcourter Ioane will be back for a third season after finding her niche with the Pulse. Predominantly a nuggety, stubborn and effective wing defence, Ioane has made the position her own and is a key cog at the defensive end.

Speed off the mark, insightful feeding skills, change of direction off either foot, ability to off-load in the air and disruptive defensive work are all impressive features in the Souness repertoire and which shone brightly in a standout 2024 season.

Pulse 2025:
Midcourt: Maddy Gordon, Fa’amu Ioane, Ainsleyana Puleiata, Whitney Souness.
Shooters: Tiana Metuarau, Amelia Walmsley, Khiarna Williams.

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