Taurua vows to fight for Silver Ferns’ head coaching job
Thursday, 15 February 2024
NNZ with consultation from Dame Noeline Taurua have agreed to advertise for Silver Ferns’ head coaching role.
Taurua has confirmed she will apply for the job.
The recruitment process will begin immediately with prospective applicants invited to apply. NNZ hope to announce the head coach in early April.
Dame Noeline Taurua has labelled Netball New Zealand’s decision to test the market for the Silver Ferns head coaching job as “ground-breaking”.
NNZ in consultation with Taurua have decided to launch a recruitment process for the head coaching position.
Taurua had extensive talks about her coaching future with NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie and head of high performance Stephen Hotter. Those talks occurred last year after the Ferns disappointed at the Netball World Cup, finishing fourth, then again after returning from the Nations Cup in January.
After thorough discussions with Taurua and post-event evaluations, Wyllie said NNZ collectively determined that opening the position of head coach to the market was the most appropriate step.
Taurua’s contract with NNZ had been extended until the end of February to take in the end of the international season after it was due to expire after October’s Constellation Cup.
The Netball World Cup-winning coach has confirmed she will reapply for the role and said it was refreshing to finally know the next step in the process.
Both Taurua and Wyllie were adamant the decision to advertise the coaching job was amicable and in the best interests of the Silver Ferns and the sport in New Zealand.
“I think it’s a great story for our sport and not a lot of other sports do it. It is ground-breaking,” Taurua said.
“For us in netball it’s how can we keep above or ahead of a lot of other sports and ensure the purity around our brand is upheld. I think it’s a fantastic process knowing that all parties are happy.”
To ensure a thorough and transparent process, NNZ will engage board members, player representatives, leadership and independent experts.
Taurua, who has enjoyed success virtually everywhere she has coached, joked she would need to refresh her CV. She believed having a fair transparent process was paramount and would ensure the best person for the job ended up as Silver Ferns coach — whether it was her or somebody else.
“I’ll have to spruce it up. This is the canny thing. The last time I went for a job I actually missed it, which was for the head coach of the Silver Ferns [in 2015 to Southby].
“I might need to change tack and do something a wee bit different. I need to update it.”
Taurua has been head coach of the Ferns since taking over from Southby in August 2018. Southby and NNZ mutually parted ways after a fourth place finish at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and string of unsatisfactory results.
Just 11 months later, Taurua remarkably guided the Ferns to a World Cup title in Liverpool, which was followed by a rare Constellation Cup series win over Australia in March 2021.
Taurua lost some of her lustre after the Ferns slumped to a fourth place finish at last year’s World Cup in Cape Town, their worst finish in the history of the event. New Zealand weren’t helped by a tournament-ending knee injury to star goal shoot Grace Nweke in the final pool game against Singapore.
She has a 46 win, 29 loss, one draw, record from 76 matches (61% winning record).
Contract length could be a factor with NNZ’s long-term focus the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney and the 2026 Commonwealth Games, should a host city be found and it proceed.
Having someone in place through to the World Cup would no doubt be a priority for NNZ. Flexibility around contract length was a possibility though, depending on the successful candidate, Wyllie said.
Taurua has indicated in the past she would prefer a shorter term deal allowing her the option to extend her contract later on down the track.
“Those details will come at a stage with whoever is the best candidate and like normal you’ll negotiate what is best moving forward. Time will tell,” Taurua said when asked if signing through to the next World Cup would be problematic.
“That’s all part of any employment process.”
Other head coaching candidates might include former Central Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie, who captured three ANZ Premiership titles, and Stars coach Kiri Wills. Debbie Fuller has been Ferns assistant under Taurua through her tenure, but it was unclear whether she wanted the top job. The pair are also close friends from their playing days.
Long-serving domestic coaches, Marianne Delaney-Hoshek (Tactix) and Reinga Bloxham (Steel), could also put their names forward.
Leota is technical coach for England and head coach of the Leeds Rhinos in Netball Super League. Her reputation was only enhanced when stepping in for England head coach Jess Thirlby in last year’s Taini Jamison Trophy against the Ferns, coaching the second-string Roses to an upset 55-54 win in the first test in Christchurch.
The Ferns have never had a non-New Zealand coach before, but Australian Rob Wright, who has been Mystics assistant coach since 2021, and former England international Tamsin Greenway could be intriguing names. Greenway stepped down as Scotland’s head coach in September last year and is regarded as one of the sharpest minds in netball.
While the preference was always for a homegrown New Zealand coach, Wyllie said the strongest candidate, regardless of nationality, would be selected.
“In the perfect world we’d have a Kiwi coach because we’ve invested heavily in our system and the coaches in our system, but we also know there’s a great wealth of talent of new and up-and-coming coaches that are plying their trade offshore.”
An announcement on who will coach the Ferns was expected to be made in early April. The Ferns are not back on court until the Taini Jamison Trophy series in September.