Sulu Fitzpatrick (born 20 August 1992), also known as Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick, is a former New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

team that won the 2021 Constellation Cup and represented New Zealand at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

. She captained New Zealand when they won the

2018 Fast5 Netball World Series The 2018 Fast5 Netball World Series was the 9th Fast5 Netball World Series. Australia hosted England, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand and South Africa in a series, played in October 2018, at the Melbourne Arena. With a team coached by Debbie Fulle ...

and again during the

2021 Taini Jamison Trophy Series The 2021 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, also known as the 2021 Cadbury Netball Series, was the 12th Taini Jamison Trophy series. It featured New Zealand playing England in three netball test matches, played in September 2021. All three tests we ...

. During the

ANZ Championship The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned ...

era, Fitzpatrick played for

Northern Mystics Northern Mystics are a New Zealand netball team based in Auckland. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Northern in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Northern is the governing body t ...

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are a New Zealand netball team based in Hamilton. The team were formed in 1998, following the merger of Waikato Wildcats and Bay of Plenty Magic. In 1997, Wildcats and Magic had been founder members of the Coca-Col ...

and

Southern Steel Southern Steel may refer to: * Southern Steel (netball) Southern Steel are a netball in New Zealand, New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill. Between 2008 ANZ Championship season, 2008 and 2016 ANZ Championship season, 2016, they played ...

. During the

ANZ Premiership The ANZ Premiership is the top level netball league featuring teams from New Zealand. In 2017 it replaced the ANZ Championship, which also included teams from Australia, as the top level netball league in New Zealand. It is organised by Netbal ...

era, she played for Mystics,

Northern Stars Northern Stars are a New Zealand netball team based in South Auckland. Since 2017 they have competed in the ANZ Premiership. The team was named after the Matariki star cluster which is also featured on the team's logo. They were grand finalist ...

and

Central Pulse Central Pulse are a New Zealand netball team based in Wellington. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Central in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Central is the governing body that ...

. During her career, she played for every ANZ Premiership team except

Mainland Tactix Mainland Tactix are a New Zealand netball team based in Christchurch, Canterbury. Between 1998 and 2007, as Canterbury Flames, they played in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Champions ...

. She was a member of four premiership winning teams – the 2012 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, the 2019 Central Pulse, the 2021 Northern Mystics and the 2023 Northern Mystics. She captained Mystics when they won both premierships. In 2021, Fitzpatrick received the

Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award The following is a list of notable New Zealand netball international players who have represented the national team in international tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games, the Netball World Cup, the World Games, the Taini Jamison Trophy, t ...

. In 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature in

netball leagues in New Zealand Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

since 1998.

Early life, family and education

Toesulu Mauailegalu Tone Fitzpatrick was born and raised in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. She is of

Samoan Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

descent. She is named after her grandmother, Toesulu Brown, the first woman in her family to migrate to

. During the 1960s, she migrated from

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

on an education scholarship. She subsequently worked as a teacher at

Auckland Girls' Grammar School Auckland Girls' Grammar School (AGGS) is a New Zealand secondary school for girls located in Newton, New Zealand, Newton, Auckland. Established in 1878 as Auckland Girls' High School, it is one of the oldest secondary institutions in the countr ...

for thirty years. Fitzpatrick's birth parents are Olive and Konelio Tone. She has a close relationship with them, and her three biological siblings in Samoa and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. However, Sulu was whangai'd and raised mainly by her aunt and uncle, Rosie and Greg Fitzpatrick. Rosie is her birth mother's sister. The Fitzpatrick family lived in Mount Albert. Sulu considers Rosie and Greg to be her parents. Two of her uncles,

Olo Brown Olo Max Brown (born 24 October 1967 in Apia, Samoa) played 56 tests at a prop for the New Zealand All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sp ...

and

Tana Umaga Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga (; ; born 27 May 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. He is head coach of Moana Pasifika in the Super Rugby competition. He was granted ...

, were New Zealand rugby union internationals. Her younger sister, Theresa Fitzpatrick is a New Zealand women's rugby union international. The Fitzpatrick sisters both represented New Zealand at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Theresa with the

New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team The New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team represents New Zealand in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Summer Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. The team played for the firs ...

. Fitzpatrick attended Richmond Road Primary in

Grey Lynn Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914. Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of t ...

. For high school, she attended St Cuthbert's College where she was deputy head girl. Throughout her netball career, she also attended the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

. Fitzpatrick is the mother of twins, Tevita and Theresa. The latter was named after her sister. They were born on

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

2013. She is in a relationship with Andrew who has two boys, Mason and Harley. Since 2017, Fitzpatrick has had a

Malu is a word in the Samoan language for a female-specific tattoo of cultural significance. The covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs just below the buttocks, and is typically finer and delicate in design compared to the , ...

to honour her late grandfather, Sola Brown.

Playing career

ANZ Championship

Northern Mystics (2010)

Tone-Fitzpatrick was recruited by

while she was still attending St Cuthbert's College. She was aged 17 and still attending St Cuthbert's, when she made her

debut with Mystics during the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

season. However, during her 2010 spell with Mystics she played just one quarter of one match.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, Tone-Fitzpatrick made 16 senior appearances for

. During the 2011 season, she formed a very effective partnership with

Casey Williams Casey May Kopua (née Williams; born 19 June 1985) is a retired New Zealand international netball player and former captain of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. Kopua became a member ...

and was subsequently nominated as Best Young Player. In 2011, while playing for Magic, Tone-Fitzpatrick made her senior debut for

. However she was only a bit-part player as Magic won the 2012 ANZ Championship as she found herself kept out of the team by

Leana de Bruin Leana de Bruin (née du Plooy) (born 9 July 1977) is a South African and New Zealand international netball player. De Bruin played 34 tests for South Africa before moving to New Zealand in 2000. She made her on-court debut for the Silver Ferns i ...

Southern Steel

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Tone-Fitzpatrick made 13 senior appearances for

. She formed a defensive partnership with Rachel Rasmussen, keeping

Storm Purvis Storm Purvis (born 20 April 1993) is a New Zealand netball player who plays for the Silver Ferns internationally, and for the Northern Stars in the ANZ Premiership. She plays in the GD and GK positions. Purvis started her netball career playin ...

out of the team. While playing for Steel, Tone-Fitzpatrick became pregnant and she would subsequently miss the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

season.

Northern Mystics (2015–2016)

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, Tone-Fitzpatrick made 22 senior appearances for

. On 16 May 2016, in a

Round 7 Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * Having no sharp corners, as an ellipse, circle, or sphere * Rounding, reducing the number of significant figures in a number * Round number, ending with one or more zeroes * Round (crypto ...

match against

, Fitzpatrick made her 50th senior league appearance. However, Fitzpatrick's relationship with Mystics head coach

Debbie Fuller Deborah Lynne Fuller (born 24 June 1966) is a former competition diver who represented Canada at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. She won a bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in and two gold medals at the 1986 Comm ...

became strained and she subsequently found herself dropped from the starting seven.

ANZ Premiership

Northern Stars

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, Fitzpatrick made 15 senior appearances for

. She was a member of the inaugural Stars squad. Fitzpatrick suffered an

ACL injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

during preseason. Normally, a season-ending injury, in Fitzpatrick's case, medical staff took the rare step of opting not to do surgery, as they determined the muscles that support her knee were strong enough to compensate for being short a ligament. Aided by layers of strapping tape, she managed to complete the season.

Central Pulse

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, Fitzpatrick made 32 appearances for

. She was a prominent member of the Pulse teams that won two minor premierships, the

2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club The 2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club was the second edition of Netball New Zealand's invitational tournament. With a team coached by Yvette McCausland-Durie, captained by Katrina Grant and featuring Karin Burger, Aliyah Dunn, Ameliaranne E ...

tournament and the 2019 ANZ Premiership. Her 2018 performance with Pulse saw Fitzpatrick recalled for

after a seven-year absence. Fitzpatrick pays credit to Pulse for reviving her netball career when she thought it was over.

Northern Mystics (2020–2023)

Between

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, during her third spell with the team, Fitzpatrick made 55 senior appearances for

. On 15 March 2020, in a

Round 1 Round 1 may refer to: * ''Round 1'' (EP), a 2011 EP by C-REAL * "Round 1" (song), a 2010 song by Dalmatian * ''Round 1'', an album by Eraser vs Yöjalka * Round One Corporation, a Japan-based amusement store chain. See also * '' Round One: The ...

against

, Fitzpatrick made her 100th senior league appearance. In February 2021, Fitzpatrick was announced as the new Mystics captain. She subsequently captained the 2021 Northern Mystics when they won their first

title. In December 2021, Fitzpatrick received the

. In January 2022, Fitzpatrick contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. In April 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature in

since 1998. In May 2022, Fitzpatrick announced that she would retire after the

2023 Netball World Cup The 2023 Netball World Cup (formerly known as the Vitality Netball World Cup 2023) was the sixteenth staging of the Netball World Cup, the premier competition in international netball, contested every four years. The tournament was held from 28 J ...

. On 6 May 2023, in a Round 10 against

, Fitzpatrick made her 150th senior league appearance. Ahead of the 2023 grand final, she confirmed her decision to retire. Fitzpatrick subsequently captained the 2023 Northern Mystics as they won their second

title.

New Zealand

Tone-Fitzpatrick represented

at schoolgirl and under-21 level. In 2010 she captained the New Zealand Secondary Schools team to victory in an International Schoolgirls Tournament. She also captained the under-21 team. On 3 October 2011, Tone-Fitzpatrick made her senior debut for New Zealand against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during the

2011 Taini Jamison Trophy Series The 2011 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, also referred to as the New World Series, was the fourth Taini Jamison Trophy series. It featured New Zealand playing England in two netball test matches, played in October 2011. New Zealand won the openi ...

. She was introduced at goalkeeper for the final quarter. She also played for New Zealand at the

2011 World Netball Series The 2011 World Netball Series was the 3rd World Netball Series. England hosted Australia, Fiji, Jamaica, New Zealand and South Africa in a series, played in November 2011, at Liverpool's Echo Arena. With a team coached by Anna Mayes and captai ...

. However, Fitzpatrick would have to wait another seven years before been recalled to the senior New Zealand team for the 2018 Constellation Cup. She captained the New Zealand team that won the

. She was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2021 Constellation Cup. In September 2023, Fitzpatrick was named as vice captain to Gina Crampton. On 22 September 2021, in the absence of an injured Crampton, Fitzpatrick captained New Zealand against England during the

. She was a member of the New Zealand team that were bronze medalists at the

Statistics

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Mystics A mystic is a person who practices mysticism, or a reference to a mystery, mystic craft, first hand-experience or the occult. Mystic may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Books and comics * Ms. Mystic, comic book superheroine * ''Mystic'' (c ...

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Magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

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Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

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Pulse In medicine, the pulse refers to the rhythmic pulsations (expansion and contraction) of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt ( palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surfac ...

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2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

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2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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, 0/0, , ?, , 12, , 2, , 0, , 8, , 22, , 68, , 2, , 10 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 154 ;Notes * Between

and

, Fitzpatrick made 52

appearances for

and

. * Fitzpatrick missed the

season due to pregnancy.

Rugby sevens

Tone-Fitzpatrick was included in the

Samoa women's national rugby sevens team Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabite ...

for the 2015 New Zealand Women's Sevens Series.

Personal life

Fitzpatrick has spoken openly about her family life, her

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

battles, struggling with depression and anxiety, food and alcohol issues, her pregnancy and the pressures of being both a mother and netball player.

Honours

;

Constellation Cup The Constellation Cup is an international netball competition contested by Australia and New Zealand. The competition features a series of test matches. The two teams have competed for the trophy since 2010. Australia won the inaugural series a ...

**''Winners'':

Taini Jamison Trophy The Taini Jamison Trophy series is an international netball series hosted by Netball New Zealand. The series traditionally features New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand playing a series of Test match (netball), test matches against a ...

**''Winners'':

Fast5 Netball World Series The Fast5 Netball World Series is an annual international Fast5 netball competition. The competition, which began in October 2009, features modified Fast5 rules, and has been likened to Twenty20 cricket and rugby sevens. The competition is co ...

**''Winners'':

;

**''Winners'':

**''Minor premiers'':

;

**''Winners'':

**''Minor premiers'':

Netball New Zealand Super Club The Netball New Zealand Super Club was a netball tournament organised by Netball New Zealand. It featured teams from the ANZ Premiership as well as invited overseas teams, including teams from Australia, Great Britain, South Africa and Singapor ...

**''Winners'':

;

**''Winners'':

;Individual Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Sulu 1992 births Living people New Zealand netball players New Zealand international netball players New Zealand international Fast5 players Netball players from Auckland Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in netball Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Netball players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games ANZ Championship players ANZ Premiership players Northern Mystics players Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic players Southern Steel players Northern Stars players Central Pulse players Samoa female rugby sevens players Samoa international rugby sevens players New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent People educated at St Cuthbert's College, Auckland University of Auckland alumni Umaga family 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen