. . . Taurua’s golden run ends
Noeline Taurua has been denied a fairytale farewell.
The Silver Ferns coach was targeting a third straight Australian Super Netball title with her Sunshine Coast Lightning side, but they were thumped 64-47 by the New South Wales Swifts in yesterday’s grand final in Brisbane.
It was Taurua’s last game with the Lightning, who she helped guide to back-to-back Super Netball titles in 2017 and 2018.
Silver Ferns skipper Laura Langman, who is also the captain of the Lightning, also missed out on the chance for her second title with the club, having not been part of last year’s success.
Silver Ferns defender Katrina Rore was the happiest New Zealander, starting at wing defence for the Swifts, and finishing on the winning side.
Rore continued her stellar 2019, also capturing the Kiwi premiership with the Central Pulse. She was a key member of the Silver Ferns squad which stunned Australia in the World Cup final in Liverpool in July.
Taurua, who will remain as Silver Ferns head coach until at least January’s Quad Series in England, can still look back proudly on the work she has done with the start-up Super Netball club.
Under her tutelage, the Lightning won 37 of their 49 games across the first three years of Super Netball, and featured in all three grand finals.
The Lightning were heavy favourites for the final, having beaten the Swifts in all three games this season and qualifying for the finals as the top ranked side. If the Swifts were any chance, they needed to start well. They did exactly that, scoring the first three goals of the final and by the end of the first quarter held a 16-12 advantage.
New South Wales kept their composure whenever the Lightning made a mini run and looked like they were going to seize the ascendancy.
The Swifts took a 31-23 lead into the halftime break after a strong finish to the first half. Diamonds midcourter Paige Hadley stood out against Langman in the first half with Trinidad and Tobago shooter Sam Wallace, landing 20 of her 22 first half attempts, also grabbing two rebounds.
You can never write off a classy outfit like the Lightning, but two unanswered goals to start the second half, extended the Swifts’ buffer out to 10 goals. At three quarter time, the Lightning trailed 46-36 and two quick goals to open the final quarter from the Swifts left the Lightning with a mountain to climb.