Southby unfazed by critics
Silver Ferns coach knows her team must do better, reports Brendon Egan.
Janine Southby shuns social media, but it would be impossible not to notice the backlash towards the Silver Ferns coach in some quarters.
Southby is a popular target in news comment sections, online netball forums and Twitter.
Some are frustrated the former Southern Steel coach got the top job in 2015, almost by default, when Noeline Taurua, who boasted an impressive resume, didn’t make the shortlist.
Others are unhappy with the Silver Ferns’ progress over the past two years and blame Southby, arguing she’s out of her depth and driven the team backwards.
Southby doesn’t possess a brash demeanour and is a reserved character on the sideline. She makes up for that with a steely determination to win and is known as a deep thinker of the game.
Achieving success at April’s Commonwealth Games and next year’s World Cup is her primary goal and she couldn’t care less about keyboard warriors.
‘‘You put yourself forward for these roles and they’re very public and people are entitled to opinions. My focus is solely on building this group through to Commonwealth Games.
‘‘[Being in the limelight] it’s certainly tough, but the reality is, it was always going to be really tough and we’ve got to keep focusing on what we can control.’’
Southby is contracted through to the end of the 2019 World Cup, but like any Silver Ferns coach must be judged on her results against the benchmark Australia and success at major tournaments. Her overall record isn’t flash with 15 wins from 27 games (56 per cent).
She’s guided New Zealand to just two wins from 11 matches
You put yourself forward for these roles and they’re very public and people are entitled to opinions. Janine Southby
over the Diamonds, including the painful memories of last October’s 4-0 Constellation Cup whitewash.
The Silver Ferns play Australia in the Quad Series in Johannesburg tonight (NZT), the last time they’ll meet the old foe Commonwealth match-up.
While New Zealand would dearly love to knock over the Diamonds, gold on the Gold Coast is what everyone wants.
No-one will remember who captured the Quad Series when the medals are being dished out on April 15 at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre.
Southby is fortunate enough to have a reliable pool of people around her within Silver Ferns management and outside the team when she needs a sounding board.
One of her closest mentors is fellow Dunedin resident Dame Lois until a potential Games medal Muir, the decorated former Ferns coach and player, remains sprightly at 82.
‘‘I do that when things are going well, as well. It’s not just an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff. It’s an ongoing process and part of my professional development plan,’’ Southby said.
She speaks with other leading New Zealand sports coaches from time to time, including Steve Hansen from the All Blacks. Southby has got to know many through High Performance Sport New Zealand’s coach accelerator programme, which has been invaluable.
The Silver Ferns set Silver who high standards and Southby is the first to admit that their performances and results over the past six months haven’t been up to scratch.
But she firmly believes they have the players to challenge for Commonwealth Games gold.
When they get it right for four quarters they’re a handful, as evidenced by their 57-47 victory over Australia in Invercargill last September, when they led from start to finish.
‘‘I think we definitely have time [to turn it around], but we’ve got to be really smart about how we use it. The girls are absolutely focused on what they need to do.’’