Taking the plunge has been the 26-year-old's path to the biggest moments in her netball career.
Her willingness to back herself has already taken her from Sydney and her family to Queensland and to Suncorp Super Netball – debuting for the Firebirds this season in the Round 6 win over the NSW Swifts at Nissan Arena.
Now, that mindset has opened an unexpected new chapter across the Tasman for Firebird No.123.
While her Futures teammates prepare for Saturday’s Super Netball Reserves Round 7 clash with the Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts at Nissan Arena, Laga'aia will line up again in New Zealand after accepting a two-week injury replacement loan with ANZ Premiership side the Ascot Park Hotel Steel – reconnecting with former Futures Head Coach and Steel assistant coach Jess Whitfort.
It is the latest example of a player who is more than willing to back her own ability.
“As soon as Jess reached out, it was a hard yes,” Laga'aia said.
“I just want to get myself in front of as many eyes as I possibly can and play different styles of netball and play in different leagues and travel, so yeah, it was an automatic yes for me.”
That decision was quickly rewarded last weekend when Laga'aia stepped into the Steel line-up against the GoSweetSpot Mystics in Invercargill, playing 67 minutes in an extra-time contest despite having arrived in New Zealand only days earlier and having had just one training session with her new side.
The move also came with familiar faces.
Along with Whitfort, the Steel boasts while former Queensland Firebirds Futures Academy athletes Jess Milne and Josie Bingham.
For Laga'aia, it made a whirlwind opportunity feel just that little bit more manageable.
“Both Jesses, Josie’s over there, and then I played with Renee (Savai'inaea) at Samoa, so it was kind of the perfect team for me out of all of them, the one that I know the most people,” she said.
Her second game of the New Zealand stint will come this weekend against the Stars in Auckland, a particularly meaningful occasion for Laga'aia, who was born in the city.
“All my cousins will be there, which is super exciting,” she said.
“At least my extended family is going to be there. Mum’s going to fly over as well, so she gets to watch me. I haven’t seen them since Christmas, so I’m super excited.”
The New Zealand opportunity caps a remarkable rise for Laga'aia, whose career looked far less certain not that long ago.
Despite her big move north to Queensland leading to her becoming one of the biggest talents in the HART Premier Netball League, Laga'aia was left questioning what came next when she missed out on a Queensland Firebirds training partner position ahead of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season.
She had earned strong form at state league level, but without a clear next step, doubt began to creep in.
“At the start of the season, I was like, if I don’t end up getting a training partner, this will probably be my last year of netball,” she said.
“Because I was getting quite stagnant, and I didn’t know what was next for me.”
Instead of stepping away, Laga'aia stayed in the fight. She was brought into the Firebirds environment through the pre-season Team Girls Cup in 2025 and continued to build her case, eventually earning a 2026 training partner contract and taking full advantage of it.
After her eye-catching 60-minute debut against the Swifts, Laga’aia remained in the matchday squad for another three games and has also been a key figure in the Firebirds Futures’ 2026 Super Netball Reserves campaign.
“If you had told me at the start of this year that I was debuting for Firebirds, I wouldn’t believe you, and then to think I would debut in the ANZ Premiership as well is insane to me,” she said.
“It’s just super exciting.”
Just as important as the opportunity itself has been the clarity it has given her.
“Getting the training partner sort of solidified that I could potentially still play SSN,” Laga'aia said.
“It ignited a huge fire in my belly, that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
“I do want to play netball, and I want to pursue SSN professionally, because I hadn’t had a proper taste of it before. So getting to be in the 10, training in the 10, having that routine showed me that that is something that I want to do.”
Laga'aia’s rise is also another example of the strength of Queensland’s pathways, with more homegrown athletes continuing to push into elite environments.
Alongside Laga'aia in the ANZ Premiership are former Queensland pathway players Milne and Bingham while Charlie Bell and Ash Barnett are at the Tactix and Holly Comyns at the Pulse.
Back in Queensland, Laga'aia believes the confidence being shown in emerging Firebirds Futures players is giving the next generation genuine belief that there is a way through.
“Getting to see Kiri (Wills) and Paula (Stuart) have so much confidence in their pathways players should really show the rest of Queensland and the underage state teams and the girls in the academy that there is a very clear pathway in Queensland towards SSN,” she said.
Even from across the ditch, Laga'aia’s thoughts are still with the Futures group she has helped shape this season.
“I am not happy to be leaving them, honestly,” she said.
“I love that reserves squad, and I’ve played with them for so long that it is disappointing to miss the back end of the season, because I think we are building quite nicely.”
But if there is one thing Laga'aia’s journey has shown, it is that taking chances can change everything. What once looked like a career at the crossroads has become a season of breakthrough moments, bold calls and bigger possibilities.
FIREBIRDS FUTURES SQUAD - Round 7 vs Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts (Saturday, 4.40pm @ Nissan Arena)
Kaylin van Greunen
Kirra Tappenden
Marley Burns
Simone Botha
Jayden Molo
Leila Simpson
Sasha Flegler
Maddi Ridley
Ellie Brice
Gemma Hutchings
Lily Gribble
Lillyana Rennie
Click here for Super Netball Reserves scores and results.
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