Having to cast their net wider this season has not detracted from the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse blueprint and two homegrown rookies getting a birds-eye view of life at the top in this year’s ANZ Premiership netball league.
Doing all the hard yards at training, they don’t get much game time, just learn, absorb and be ready but, who also play key roles in team unity and spirit. For the enthusiastic and excited young duo of midcourter Erana Ngarimu and defender Madi Thomas, they’re living the dream and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Succession planning and resourcing from within has always been a key feature for Netball Central with players having spent time in the Pulse environment now littered across rival teams, the philosophy unwavering in helping all players reach their career goals.
With the Pulse being stripped of their nucleus in the off-season, 21-year-olds Ngarimu and Thomas got a foot in the door after securing their first elite level contracts for 2026 and making the step up from sister team Manawa.
``Getting the opportunity was unreal and I didn’t see it coming, so very grateful, learning so much and I’m just soaking up all the information from everyone around me. It’s exceeded my expectations,’’ the rangy Thomas said.
``Spending a lot of time on the bench is all part of the process. You take all the learnings where you can, and any opportunity you’re given you just go out there and give it your best.
``I’m living my dream, that’s for sure, and I’m just hungry for more.’’
Mixing her chosen sport with study, high achiever Ngarimu will graduate from university at the end of this year with a Bachelor of Science and Environmental Science. She has a similar mindset as Thomas, and with it the opportunity lying at their netball feet.
``I’m enjoying each training, I’m having so much fun and I’m competing really hard with everyone just pushing each other to be better, so it’s awesome and I’m loving it,’’ Ngarimu said.
``I’m hungry for more, hungry to keep going. It’s just really opened up this new path this year and I’ve been able to get a really good look into what this career can bring for me, so I’m just excited for more.
``I think it’s gone beyond my expectation, to be honest. Being in Manawa (national netball league) last year and being a Pulse training partner as well gave me a bit of a taster for it which was really awesome. But now, each week I’m learning something new and I’m getting lots of opportunities to try new things which has been awesome.’’
After a run of losses, the Pulse got the booster they needed with a well-executed win over the table-topping Tactix last weekend in their best outing of the season.
That has added some spice to their clash with the Magic in Hamilton on Saturday evening after the Waikato Bay of Plenty side clinched their first win of the season over the highly touted Stars.
Despite it being a match-up between teams anchoring the bottom two rungs of the table (Pulse fifth, Magic sixth), there is still plenty riding on the clash with both pushing to replicate their winning ways with a strong end of season run.
``Getting that win against the Tactix was so awesome for our final home game (Palmerston North), just being there with the crowd and everyone supporting us,’’ Ngarimu said. ``We have definitely lifted our intensity in trainings. So, for the backend of the season, we just want to finish on a high and keep putting out performances that we’re really proud of.
`` And it has set up a pretty exciting match against Magic. As long as we stick to our processes and the game plan, be adaptable and keep working hard we can come away with a win.’’
Ends
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