Simone Nalatu is wasting no time in preparing a formidable national Under-21 side for major international netball competitions later this year.

The former Fiji Pearls centre has been sorting through almost 60 players in the extended squad who are all vying for a spot in the final team.

Nalatu took the players through some positional screening tests yesterday to try and gauge where they are at in terms of fitness and skill level.

“Great to be here, we’ve got 60 players in our squad, 50 are here this weekend, it’s an opportunity for me to meet the girls and work with them before we look to refine the squad to a smaller number in the coming weeks.”

The Baby Pearls are preparing for the World Youth Cup Oceania Qualifier in the Cook Islands in September and the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar next year.