Constellation Cup: Silver Ferns adamant they are united amid Dame Noeline Taurua saga
The Silver Ferns are adamant they are united as a team amid continued controversy over stood-down coach Dame Noeline Taurua.
New Zealand are looking to bounce back from a 69-52 loss to Australia in Melbourne, which has them 1-nil down in the four-match Constellation Cup series.
Game two is tonight in Sydney.
Netball NZ remain in negotiations with Taurua after players complained about feeling unsafe in the Ferns environment.
It has been six weeks since the 2019 World Cup-winning mentor was stood down. Yet NNZ has provided no details on progress of subsequent talks and why Taurua was stood down.
Former selector Gail Parata claims NNZ spoke to seven players – five senior and two junior – in their review after the complaints.
After NZ’s third Taini Jamison series win over South Africa, then-interim skipper Grace Nweke spoke out in support of Taurua.
However, it reportedly divided the team, as not all players shared Nweke’s view.
Unforced errors plagued the Ferns in their opening Constellation Cup loss to the Diamonds, with a fourth-quarter collapse blowing out the deficit.
Midcourter Maddy Gordon claims the group is united heading into game two.
“We know we can run against them. We know we can compete with them, and it’s just fixing those little things. Obviously, it sucks that we lost by that much, but we know what we’ve got to do.
“If we come back and give them that good crack and potentially win that second game, then I think it just shows what we can do together as a group.”
The ongoing Taurua saga has led frustrated fans to demand answers over which players complained.
With only scraps of information available, the athletes have been vulnerable to personal attacks online.
Gordon was reluctant to speak out when asked about whether she would like Taurua back.
“Noeline is a great coach, and it’s just whether or not Netball NZ need to work it out between her. It’s got nothing to do with us players.”
In game one, the Ferns regularly opted to find Nweke via long-ranged passes, rather than work the ball to the edge of the circle.
Gordon said while the Ferns back Nweke to win a one-on-one contest for the ball, many of the lob passes were forced by the Diamonds’ defensive pressure.
“I think we can do more work in getting each other on to the circle edge to put pressure off GG [Nweke]. Because obviously she’s a great target back there, but sometimes they’re dropping two on her, and we can really work the GA in. So I think just decision making.”
Nweke was at times double-teamed by the Australian defenders, which freed up goal attack Martina Salmon as a passing option.
Gordon said working the ball up the court comes down to communication with her wing attack, but also bringing the goal attack into play as well.
“If the GA is dropped back into the circle, it’s definitely the centre and wing attack’s job to get each other on to the circle edge. I think we just need a bit more movement and working with each other.
“I think we were very individualised sometimes, and trying to get free on our own. But we can definitely use some more screens and hits.”
Gordon admits their timing was off when they moved into their second and third phases.
“I think we can attack the middle channel a bit more. They were definitely getting us wide. That’s also key to notice when we’re wide, we need that middle punch as well.
“I think the dropped balls were just a lot of the Aussies running the line, hitting our arms, so we just need to be a bit more tidy on the catch as well.”
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.