Kristiana Manu'a
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
3 September 1995[1] Wellington, New Zealand[1] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| School | Westfields Sports High School | ||
| Netball career | |||
| Playing position(s): GD, GK | |||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |
| 2015–16 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 29 | |
| 2017–21 | Giants Netball | 48 | |
| 2022-2023 | Central Pulse | 32 | |
| 2024 | Melbourne Mavericks | 9 | |
| 2025 | Sunshine Coast Lightning | 2 | |
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |
| 2016 | Australia | 2 | |
| 2023, 2025 | Samoa | 7 | |
Kristiana Manu'a (born 3 September 1995) is a New Zealand-born Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball, playing currently for the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Manu'a was born in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, though moved with family to Liverpool, New South Wales as a baby.[3] She began her netball career back in New Zealand in 2015, playing for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic under head coach Julie Fitzgerald.[4] Despite representing Australia at underage level, Manu'a was approached by Netball New Zealand officials to represent the New Zealand national team during her time at the Magic.[4] She remained an Australian player however and made her debut for the Australian Diamonds in the 2016 Quad Series.[5]
Manu'a was set to play for Giants Netball in the inaugural season of Super Netball in 2017, though missed the entire season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained in the off-season.[3] She eventually made her debut for the Giants in the 2018 season before finishing with the club in 2021.[6]
In 2022 Manu'a returned back to New Zealand, joining the Central Pulse in the ANZ Premiership. Her strong form saw her named in the 2022-2023 Silver Ferns development squad. Manu'a took the court in the 2022 Cadbury Series, playing for the NZ A team across the series which included a Mixed Side for the first time alongside the NZ Men's team. She also was a member of the 2022 Fast 5 Ferns team that won a Bronze medal.
In 2024, Manu’a joined the Melbourne Mavericks in their inaugral season during round 4 as a permanent replacement player for the injured Lauren Moore and remained as a training partner in early 2025. [7]
In March 2025, she signed with Sunshine Coast Lightning on a permanent replacement player contract for the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball Season. She replaced Ava Black, who suffered a ruptured ACL during pre-season training in January. [8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Kristiana Manu'a Profile". Giants Netball.
- ^ "Kristiana Manu'a Overview". Suncorp Super Netball. 20 May 2021.
- ^ a b "GIANTS Netball / Get to know Kristiana Manu'a". Giants Netball. YouTube. 7 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Netball: Battle looms over Manu'a". New Zealand Herald. 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Kristiana Manu'a player focus". Netball Australia.
- ^ "Kristiana Manu'a back in form for Giants and the Pacific Islands". SBS News. 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Kristiana Manu'a takes flight with Melbourne Mavericks and Round 4 update". Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "KRISTIANA MANU'A SIGNS WITH SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING". Retrieved 13 March 2025.
External links
[edit]- Netball Australia profile
- Suncorp Super Netball profile
- Interview with Giants Netball player Kristiana Manu'a – YouTube
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- 1995 births
- Australian netball players
- 21st-century Australian sportswomen
- Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic players
- Giants Netball players
- Living people
- Suncorp Super Netball players
- Netball players from New South Wales
- Australia international netball players
- New Zealand netball players
- Netball New South Wales Blues players
- New South Wales state netball league players
- Central Pulse players
- New Zealand international Fast5 players
- ANZ Premiership players
- 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen
- Netball stubs