FALSE START
Taurua slams Ferns after record loss
New Silver Ferns netball coach Noeline Taurua wasn’t pulling any punches after yesterday suffering a record loss to England in her first match in charge.
The Ferns went down 52-39 in their Quad Series opener, their biggest defeat to the Roses.
Although the late injury withdrawal of Temalisi Fakahokotau had supporters questioning the Ferns’ inexperienced defensive line-up before tip-off, it was the ineptitude of seasoned shooters Maria Folau and Ameliaranne Ekenasio that proved most costly.
“It wasn’t good, it wasn’t the standard that is required to be a Silver Fern and not the standard I would expect from those players because they’re amazing shooters, so hugely an area that we need to work on,” Taurua said after the match.
“Maria is a star, she’s a legend, she’s amazing, but also we’ve got to keep possession of the ball, we’ve got to be able to do that and everyone’s got to be able to do their job.
“Shooting, in the end, is what wins a game and we weren’t up to the level we should be.”
Folau, who scored from just 22 of 30 attempts, was benched in the last quarter and Taurua admitted she could be dropped for rookie Aliyah Dunn for Tuesday’s encounter with South Africa.
“I haven’t seen a scoreboard like that for a long time but that’s how it goes,” Taurua said. “What it does, I suppose, is give me clear direction about what we specifically need to work on, the priorities in this short given time, and once again looking for our performance to be improved and consistent.
“We haven’t got Aliyah in but I’m not just going to put someone on just for the sake of it. There’s a lot of pride in what we need to do in regards to the performance and backing up from that scoreboard so the best people will make the court.”
Silver Ferns captain Laura Langman, who pulled on the black dress yesterday for the first time in almost two years, also admitted she expected more from her side.
“To be honest, I didn’t think our stake would be that low,” Langman said, “but to be fair, silver linings for me, when we had flow on, it looked beautiful.
“We had to start somewhere and this is what it is.”
Despite having only three days to regroup before facing the Proteas in Tauranga, Taurua felt confident.
“I’m clear about what needs to happen and now we have a couple of days to improve our performance,” she said.