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'She had the pedigree to take us forward' – Louisa Wall slams Netball NZ overlooking Noeline Taurua

April 17, 2018

Taurua was overlooked for the role in favour of Janine Southby.

Former Silver Fern and current MP Louisa Wall pinpoints the failure to appoint Noeline Taurua as Silver Ferns coach as the reason for New Zealand's current decline in netball.

Following her success with the Southern Steel, Taurua was overlooked for the role of Silver Ferns coach in 2015, with Southby appointed instead.

However, since then, the Ferns have been on a downward spiral, enduring historic defeats to the likes of Jamaica and Malawi, before finishing without a medal at the Commonwealth Games last week - the first time in history a New Zealand team has done so.

Speaking to 1 NEWS today, Wall highlighted the decision that was made to appoint Southby over Taurua as the start of the Silver Ferns' decline.

"We really need to go back to 2015, when there was a determination about who the next Silver Ferns coach should be," she said.

"Janine Southby was appointed, but I know a lot of people at the time were really disappointed that Noeline Taurua - who'd been our most successful coach - and everybody thought that she had the pedigree to take us forward and didn't even get a second interview from what I've heard."

Wall also labelled the decision to pull out of the Australian national championship as another poor decision from Netball New Zealand.

"I know that the revamp was looking at inviting other teams, and possibly a reduction in the number of Kiwi teams.

"The governors here in New Zealand said 'oh well, we're going to have our own competition'

"There've been a set of circumstances, and some would say now disastrous consequences of those decisions that I think really has provided the context for our performances over in the Commonwealth Games." 

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