They're the tiny school that could - and Taneatua yesterday booked themselves a permanent seat in NZCT AIMS Games folklore.
Taneatua caused a David v Goliath-type boilover as they bounced Cambridge Middle School 30-25 to win the netball title, urged every step by a raucous crowd at the Harbourside Centre.
Coach Parehuia Hiakita, the school's Te Reo Maori teacher, had just 20 Year 7-8 female students to pick from when putting together her netball team. They were 22nd in the netball at last year's AIMS (Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools) Games.
The full primary school (Year 1-8) has a roll of 200 students and there were shrieks and tears of joy when they final whistle went.
Remarkably, more than half of the team rushed back to Whakatane yesterday afternoon to play the semifinals of the Central Bay of Plenty schools hockey competition.
Taneatua School were pipped 38-37 by Waihi College on Tuesday - their only loss of the week - and drew 30-allwith defending champions Te Puke Intermediate but won its eight other games, including a 44-18 thrashing of Auckland's St Cuthbert's College, New Zealand's most exclusive private girls' school.
Hiakita made all her players write down their expectations for the week when they arrived last Sunday.
"We talked about strategy and why we were here but without fail every one of our players wrote down that they'd come to win, which really filled me with confidence. I sensed then we were capable of a special week."
Hiakita laid the law down before the team even left Eastern Bay so her players were under no illusions the week in Tauranga would be a holiday.
"I banned all cellphones, ipods and eating lollies and junk food, (and) none of the players was allowed to bring more than $15 because often the temptation when you come from a small town is to head straight to McDonalds or Burger King.
"The girls made their own filled rolls back at the motel each night for the next day's lunch and they did all their own cooking and the cleaning.
"They were totally self-reliant and had nothing done for them for the entire week. People might look at that and shake their heads but I really think it helped focus us."
Teacher Sue Sisam, who heads to Marseilles in France in two weeks with most of the students on a cultural exchange - a trip they had fundraised $65,000 for - said many of the players were new to netball.
"Hockey in the winter is our main sport but touch is the big sport in town. It's all they do in summer."
School principal Rob Shaw, who nervously paced the sideline urging his players towards victory, said the young netballers would be the toast of the town, population 900.
"They're great kids and I'm just so proud right now. I think the overwhelming message these girls, and hopefully others, can take away from the week is that by setting goals and working hard, anything can be achieved against the odds."
Tiny Taneatua triumph over netball's big guns
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