 18 June 2004: Vilimaina Davu (left) playing forCanterbury Flames againstSouthern Sting in the 2004National Bank Cup final atStadium Southland. Herself and Flames team matePeta Stephens challenge Sting'sNatalie Avellino. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1977-01-15)15 January 1977 (age 48) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Vilimaina Davu (born 15 January 1977) is a former netball international who represented bothFiji andNew Zealand. She was a prominent member of theNew Zealand teams that were silver medallists at the2002 Commonwealth Games and gold medallists at the2003 World Netball Championships and the2006 Commonwealth Games. However, she began and ended her international career with Fiji, representing them at the1999 and2007 World Netball Championships. During theCoca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup era, she played forCanterbury Flames andNorthern Force. During the earlyANZ Championship era, she played forNorthern Mystics. In 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature innetball leagues in New Zealand since 1998.
Davu was born inNadi,Fiji.[1] Her family home was in Nuku, a village inSerua Province. She began playing netball aged 8 and attended Lomary Secondary School.[2] In November 2007, Davu's father collapsed atNadi International Airport. He was part of a small group of relatives and friends that were meeting theFiji team on their return from the2007 World Netball Championships. He died shortly after.[3][4] She is married to Aporosa Tamaniveli. They met in 2004 when she returned to Fiji on a holiday. Together they have one daughter.[5][6]
Between 2000 and 2006, Davu played forCanterbury Flames in theCoca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league.[7][8][9][10] She was a prominent member of the Flames teams that played in four grand finals.[2][11][12][13] She captained Flames during the 2005 season.[1][7][14][15] During this time she also represented Canterbury in the National Provincial Championships.[8]
In 2007, Davu played forNorthern Force in theNational Bank Cup league.[9][10][16][17] In November 2006, Davu was announced as the new head coach ofFiji. It was speculated that she would be released from her contract with Force.[18] In March 2007, Davu was injured in a car accident inSuva. She escaped serious injury but was unable to join the Force team for pre-season.[19][20] She subsequently helped Force reach the 2007 grand final, which they lost toSouthern Sting.[21]
In2008 and2009, Davu played forNorthern Mystics in theANZ Championship.[22]Netball New Zealand initially overruled Mystics application to register Davu, partly because she had switched allegiances fromNew Zealand toFiji. The ANZ Championship only allowed one foreign player per team and Mystics had already registeredCathrine Latu (Samoa). Netball New Zealand also based their assessment on Davu's below par performance at the2007 World Netball Championships.[23][24][25] However, Mystics successfully appealed the decision and Davu was eventually cleared to play.[26][27][28][29] To help regain her fitness, Davu became an ambassador for the weight-loss company,Jenny Craig.[29][30][31][32][33] Ahead of the 2009 season, Davu was became aNew Zealand citizen.[34] In April 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature innetball leagues in New Zealand since 1998.[35][36]
Between 1993 and 1999, Davu made 55 senior appearances forFiji.[8][9][37][38][39][40] In 1992, aged just 14, she was selected to play for Fiji at the1992 World Youth Netball Championships.[2][37][41] She was subsequently a member of the Fiji teams that were bronze medallists at the1993 South Pacific Mini Games and gold medallists at the1995 South Pacific Games. She captained the Fiji teams that were silver medallists at the1997 South Pacific Mini Games and gold medallists at the1999 South Pacific Games.[39][40] She also captained the Fiji team that finished sixth at the1999 World Netball Championships.[2][41][42][43]
In June 2000, Vilimaina captained the Team Pasifika selection that playedNew Zealand in a two match series. The team was coached byTe Aroha Keenan and also featuredTeresa Tairi,Jenny-May Coffin,Frances Solia andSheryl Clarke.[41][44][45][46]
In July 2000, Davu played for the World 7 team that played New Zealand in a three match series. The team was coached byJill McIntosh and also featuredKathryn Harby (Australia),Elaine Davis (Jamaica),Leana du Plooy (South Africa).[47][48]
Between 2000 and 2006, Davu made 60 senior appearances forNew Zealand. On 25 November 2000, she made her senior debut againstSouth Africa.[42][49] She was a member of the New Zealand team that were silver medalists at the2002 Commonwealth Games.[1][2][50]She was a prominent member of the New Zealand teams that won the2003 World Netball Championships[51][52][53][54] and the2006 Commonwealth Games.[1][55]Davu was highly regarded as an international goalkeeper.Australia head coachNorma Plummer was a big admirer.Ruth Aitken said Davu rated among the great New Zealand defenders such asWaimarama Taumaunu andBernice Mene. In October 2005, she announced she was retiring from international netball.[9][56]
In 2006 and 2007, Davu served as head coach ofFiji.[18][57][58] She was head coach when Fiji won the gold medal at the2007 South Pacific Games[59][60] She was player/coach for Fiji at the2007 Netball World Championships.[37][38][60][61][62] Davu faced criticism for her performances at the tournament. She admitted her fitness and conditioning wasn't what it should have been, but emphasized she was only a late inclusion in the squad after visa issues ruled out some of the other members.[24][25][29]
Davu has worked as a recruitment consultant for Coverstaff inAuckland.[2][63]
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Fijian Sportswoman of the Year |
| 2002 | Sport Canterbury Sports Personality of the Year |
| 2014 | Fiji Sports Hall of Fame[6] |
