Ferns coach holding no grudges
As she takes on her “dream job”, Noeline Taurua isn't one to hold grudges.
Taurua was unveiled yesterday as the 11th coach of the Silver Ferns, after weeks of speculation that she was the obvious — and probably only — candidate to replace Janine Southby.
She's contracted until the 2019 World Cup, and will also continue in her head coach role at the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Taurua was also the leading contender to take the Ferns job back in 2015, but missed out after arguably one of the worst administrative blunders in New Zealand sports history.
Despite her standout record, Taurua didn’t even make the final shortlist and the inexperienced Southby was handed the reigns.
Yesterday’s decision will go some way towards repairing the damage, but Taurua emphasised she had moved on quickly from that snub.
“Three years is a long time,” she said. “A lot has happened since then and I have no hangups about anything. I’m looking forward to where it could go now, and where we could go for World Championships.”
Taurua even intimated that missing out, though painful at the time, was a blessing in disguise, as she coached the Southern Steel to an ANZ Premiership title before back-toback triumphs across the Tasman with the Lightning.
“I'm very open to the fact that some times aren't the right time,” said Taurua. “Because of that [being overlooked] 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.
“My life has not revolved around netball, or Netball New Zealand. But I am so passionate about netball, and, like anything in life, when you do go for a job and you miss out, you need to reflect on things that you could do better. That moment was just a moment in time, [but] it made me think about me as a coach, why I coached, and what the purpose was.”
Taurua has regularly had the midas touch in her coaching career, but deflected talk that she was going to save the sport.
“It will be challenging [and] the time frame is very limited,” said Taurua.
“But the brand of the Silver Ferns is huge and why I played netball, why I am here.”
Taurua will be able to call on veterans Laura Langman and Casey Kopua, but was coy about the role she played in their return after a number of years in the international wilderness.
“I've known them both since they were 16,” said Taurua. “[But] I don’t know if I persuaded them. At the end they need to make those decisions themselves.”
Taurua hopes to appoint an assistant coach next week and will also lean heavily on the ANZ Premiership coaches to monitor players.
NNZ CEO Jennie Wyllie is confident Taurua's unique dual commitment is viable: “It was about getting the right person. We have landed with that person, and the [Ferns] are in safe hands.”