Highlighting a remarkable comeback story, resilient midcourter Ainsleyana Puleiata added the icing for a resurgent Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and their late-season charge in the ANZ Premiership netball league.

With their season on the line, the Pulse steadied the ship with a compelling performance against the table-topping Tactix last week. In the emotional aftermath, much of the attention was directed towards Puleiata who at times doubted that she would ever get back to top-tier play.

Given her first start of the campaign, with just a handful of minutes behind her, Puleiata excelled from wing defence while going on to play near-enough to a full game, the last piece of an arduous but eventual triumphant return, and not lost on a long list of admirers.

``Getting the start and the win on top in a game that had so much riding on it, there was a lot of warmth after the game and with everyone hugging me, I was crying but they were happy tears,’’ she said on reflection.

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).

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.

From attending her grandfather’s funeral in the lead-up to last week’s match, Puleiata found out that she would be in a starter’s bib for the Round 8 match and from there everything took on a different perspective.

``My thoughts quickly changed to taking the opportunity and not letting it slip even knowing my prep probably wasn’t as great as what I wanted it to be,’’ she said. ``I wasn’t scared, I had no fear, I knew the girls had my back and I knew my structures.’’

Having crafted her career from wing attack and centre, wing defence is a relatively new position for Puleiata but with her quick feet and hands, powerful drive and constant hustle, is one that entirely suits her.

``I enjoy the grit, the grind, and the intensity to get ball has made me love the position,’’ she said. ``So, it is a recent position but I actually love it and it’s now my preferred position.’’

Getting her first full contract with the Pulse in 2023 after previously being a training partner, Puleiata had put a huge amount of work into improving her fitness, strength and skill levels for her breakout year.

``Then doing my third ACL……it was hard, much harder than the other two. I also did my MCL (medial collateral ligament) and a meniscus and the recovery took a bit longer….almost two seasons,’’ she said.

``The last ACL was the hardest and the journey where I doubted myself and my skills and thinking that, actually, I probably won’t be the person that I was in 2023. And the hardest thing was trying to find a new me…..find out what skills I had and what unique things I could bring into the team.

``And yeah, I had doubts and didn’t think I’d be here today.’’

The Pulse will meet the Stars in Wellington on Saturday, their opponents having suffered a succession of injuries throughout their campaign and down on their luck. But the match looms large for the home side.

``Every game is a must-win for us,’’ Puleiata said. ``We need to be tuned in, locked in and know what our roles are. We can’t under-estimate anyone going forward. It remains crunch time for us.’’

Puleiata divides her time between top-flight netball, working part-time as a Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in the Employment Relations policy team, and family.

For the born and bred Wellingtonian, who grew up dreaming of playing for the Pulse, the smile and spark are back for Puleiata, who is now all set to crack on.


Ends
 

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Article added: Thursday 03 July 2025