'Saddest day' - netball greats react to shock Noeline Taurua removal

Former Silver Ferns great Laura Langman has reacted to the shock standing down of coach Dame Noeline Taurua as the "saddest day in NZ netball history".

Netball New Zealand on Wednesday announced that Dame Noeline was being stood down for the series against South Africa, starting in 10 days.

It said there had been discussions with the revered coach around issues that had been raised about the high performance environment, that had not been resolved yet.

Former Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie has been brought in as interim coach for the Taini Jamison Series, with former Silver Fern Liana Leota as assistant coach.

Langman, a former recipient of the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award - the highest accolade in New Zealand netball, posted a photo on Instagram of her singing the national anthem with the Silver Ferns.

Clearly in reference to the news, she simply wrote: "From one of the proudest moments ...To the saddest day in NZ Netball history today ..."

Dame Noeline coached Langman for years at the Magic and then as Silver Ferns coach, when she was appointed in 2018.

Langman was part of a senior group of players affectionately nick named 'the fossils' who were the backbone of the Silver Ferns 2019 World Cup victory.

The Silver Ferns centurion has subsequently posted a lengthy Facebook post, saying she's "devastated and bewildered" by Netball New Zealand's actions.

She has also taken aim at the current Silver Ferns group.

"If players are unhappy with the direction the coach is taking, it's gutless and selfish not to come forward and state what the issues are. That doesn't reflect leadership at all. Where is the voice of reason? Where is the emotional intelligence to weigh up this situation?"

Langman said her former mentor was always honest - "on the level with you about where you stand and what's expected of you. Her high standards are for your benefit as a player, helping you to perform under pressure and take your game to the next level.

"She would always hammer home: you have to trust the process. It takes consistency and time to achieve greatness - nothing replaces that. She has always been 'team first'."

Langman said her old coach wasn't afraid to make tough decisions.

"She knows when a player needs tough love, or when they need to be wrapped in care ... No one would say they didn't become a better player and a better person under Noels' leadership."

Langman, who was also coached by Dame Noeline in the Australian league, said she's not the only former Fern who's upset.

"For all the ups and downs we faced together, a group of former Ferns want Noels to know we would never trade those moments for the world. They shaped us as people, and they shaped our game," Langman writes.

Langman was captain in 2019, when Dame Noeline steered the team to the world title.

"A coach-captain relationship isn't about friendship; it's about roles, responsibility, and results. We got down to business for that campaign - and I would suit up for her again tomorrow. I would go into battle with her in a heartbeat."

Langman said Taurua's style was bold and innovative. "She's tough when she needs to be, but always compassionate and fair - open, inclusive and honest."

She said the treatment of Taurua cast "a dark shadow over the mana of our great game".

Maria Folau, Katrina Rore, and Casey Kopua were also part of that 2019 Silver Ferns group.

Rore and Kopua, who came out of retirement to join the 2019 World Cup campaign after Dame Noeline was put in charge, shared Langman's Instagram post.

Folau also shared the post, adding "100 percent, what the heck is going on???"

The Silver Ferns won big at the 2019 Halberg Awards, taking out team of the year and Taurua, coach of the year, after engineering a remarkable turn-around after the side came fourth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Former Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering, who is regularly brought in to take specialist coaching sessions, said she first realised something was wrong when last weekend's planned Silver Ferns camp did not go ahead.

"The first I knew that something was amiss, I wanted to go to a training camp and suddenly there was no training camp and nothing was said at that time and I'm going 'this is very unusual'."

She told Morning Report it has come out of the blue and can't understand how it got to this point.

"The one thing that they pride themselves on within the camp is their honest communication, they do one on ones with the players, they have leadership groups, so what's happening to the honesty," Willering asked.

"I believe it's been driven by a few players but what I want to know is who is determining that the high performance programme, what are these proposed changes.

"Dame Noeline Taurua is not old-school because she is constantly up-skilling and she does listen to her players so this has really come as a surprise and why has this come out at this time?"

Dame Noeline is known for implementing strict fitness standards.

"[But] she says it's met with the players' approval ... the players' approval has obviously come from players who made the team so you've got to keep that in perspective as well."

Netball New Zealand said discussions are ongoing between it, Dame Noeline and the Silver Ferns management team concerning proposed changes to the Silver Ferns High Performance programme and environment.

But Willering questions who has determined the need for change.

"Are some of these proposed changes unrealistic ... this is something that should have stayed in-house, should have been addressed prior to this Taini Jamison trophy."

Deb Fuller, who has been assistant coach during Dame Noeline's tenure, also won't be involved in the Taini Jamison series.

"It can't be just about Noeline, she's got an assistant coach, she also brought in a specialist coach from Australia, so totally different styles and also a high performance manager, surely between them it could have been [resolved]."

Willering questioned whether the situation could be resolved before October's Constellation Cup against Australia.

"It's pretty disappointing as a whole and this is not where our sport wants to be."

Embarrassed for the sport

Former Silver Fern Margie Foster said she was embarrassed for the sport.

Foster, who has also done some specialist coaching for the Ferns during Dame Noeline's tenure, said it was a terrible look for the sport.

"I am so annoyed and so embarrassed of our sport ... our world's best netball coach being stood down," Foster said.

"She is an elite coach, coaching in the highest, prestigious, challenging, competitive environment, 12 amazing athletes that ... absolutely thrived on the training being, we always say train harder than you play, that just goes without saying, that that's what you do to bring the best out.

"She is one that brings out the best in athletes, whether it is the kind nice soul, or whether or not it's that kind of hard reality check.

"I can't even comprehend this for our sport. She is the most innovative, creative ... she's way ahead of her time, she's the best that I have ever seen in our sport."

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.