Taurua bears no grudges
For the past three years, mentioning Noeline Taurua and the Silver Ferns in the same breath has usually had negative connotations, but that changed yesterday.
That’s when she was unveiled as the country’s 11th national coach, after missing out on being the 10th in 2015, when she didn’t make the final two and Janine Southby got the nod instead.
It’s a one-year deal, where Taurua will split her time between the Ferns and the Sunshine Coast Lightning, chasing a third Australian title in a row as well a world championship title that has eluded New Zealand since 2003.
Taurua’s desire to focus on the future, not the past, was evident.
‘‘I don’t think we need to keep going back, because in three
‘‘The skills that I’ve learnt over the last three years have probably set me up better in this role than maybe if I was here previously.’’ Noeline Taurua
years, it’s changed so much in regards to personnel [at Netball NZ] and where I am as a person.
‘‘I have no hangups about anything, so I’m looking forward to where we can possibly go now.’’
Reflecting on the past three years, where she led the Southern Steel to an unbeaten regular season in the trans-Tasman league, and the Lightning to two titles in their first two years of existence, Taurua was philosophical. ‘‘I’m very open to the fact that some times aren’t the right time,’’ she said of being overlooked in 2015.
‘‘Because of that I’ve been able to learn and grow, not only as a coach, but also as a person. I feel that the skills that I’ve learnt over the last three years have probably set me up better in this role than maybe if I was here previously.
‘‘I feel maybe I’ve been there, done that in certain environments. I know being in the international scene is going to help me grow as a coach as well.’’
While Taurua and her backers had good reason to be upset in 2015, she said missing out on a job was never going to define her.
‘‘My life does not revolve around netball, my life does not revolve around Netball New Zealand. I’m so passionate about
netball. Like any job, when you do go for a job and you miss out, you’ve got to reflect on the things that you could do better.
‘‘It didn’t influence who I am or what I needed to do and that was probably the best thing – it made me think about me as a coach and why I coach, and if it’s
one of those moments in life, then so be it.’’
In that sense, this is another one of those moments in life. The Ferns job became available in the wake of the team’s failure to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games and the resignation of Southby; the Lightning went on a
storming run to defend their Super Netball title; then Taurua was at Netball NZ’s offices in Auckland, looking forward to her first test in charge, against England two weeks from Saturday.
Taurua wasn’t keen to use the word rebuild to describe the task in front of her, and shied away
BRENDON EGAN
from suggestions that she is here to save New Zealand netball. Her focus is on the World Cup in England next July, and what it will take to win there, a cause boosted by the recent return of Casey Kopua and Laura Langman – two of her proteges – to international action.