ANZ Premiership coaches to gain international experience

Netball New Zealand is demonstrating a strong commitment to the development of its kiwi coaches and growth of its coaching talent pathways by utilising five of the ANZ Premiership coaches across both the Silver Ferns, NZA and the FAST5 Ferns teams for the upcoming international season.

NNZ Chief Executive Jennie Wyllie said it was exciting to provide ANZ Premiership coaches the opportunity to be involved with the game at the next level.

“The alignment between Zones and the Silver Ferns is crucial to the success of our High Performance programmes. An area that was highlighted in the recent review was the need to help grow our New Zealand coaches,” she said. 

“Netball produces more elite female coaches than any other sport in New Zealand and we see these appointments as an opportunity for them to gain that experience against some of the toughest opposition in Netball whilst also strengthening the New Zealand Netball system that produces more female coaches than any other.”

Former Northern Mystics coach Deb Fuller has been named as the Silver Ferns assistant coach where she will work alongside newly appointed head coach, Noeline Taurua.

She will also coach the FAST5 Ferns and will be assisted by current Mystics coach Helene Wilson. The FAST5 Ferns will compete at the Netball World Series in Melbourne from October 27-28 where they will meet Australia, England, Jamaica, Malawi and South Africa.

The NZA coaches have also been confirmed with Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie set to guide the team along with Northern Stars’ Kiri Wills who will act as assistant coach.

Both have been in the international arena before with McCausland-Durie the former Silver Ferns assistant while Wills was at the helm when the New Zealand Under-21 team won the Netball World Youth Cup last year.

The duo face a challenging campaign with NZA set to take on South Africa, Australia and England in the build up to the Netball Quad Series and Constellation Cup.

Meanwhile, Tactix coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek has been called in as a second assistant for the Silver Ferns in this month’s Netball Quad Series where she will work alongside newly appointed Ferns’ head coach Noeline Taurua.

Delaney-Hoshek has completed her first full season in charge of the Tactix where she took them to the ANZ Premiership Finals for the first time and has also been in charge of NZA and the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in the past.

The Netball Quad Series, which includes The Silver Ferns, England Roses, Australian Diamonds and the South Africa Proteas, starts in Auckland on September 15.

Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel coach Reinga Bloxham will have the opportunity to work with Taurua in a similar assistant role when the Silver Ferns take on the Australian Diamonds in the Constellation Cup which starts next month.

Bloxham has worked with Taurua in the past having been her assistant for the Steel in 2016.  She was promoted to the head role a year later and guided the team to back-to-back Premiership titles.

New Silver Ferns coach, Noeline Taurua, said it was important for her to be working alongside New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership coaches.

“They have the players for such a large amount of the season so it is crucial to our success that they have a strong involvement with the national programme,” she said.

“Their involvement not only gives them an insight into the Silver Ferns programme it provides opportunities for professional development. The time we spend working together in the international environment will help strengthen the relationship when the players are back in the ANZ Premiership.”

Coaching positions:

• Silver Ferns:  Noeline Taurua (Head Coach), Deb Fuller (Assistant Coach), Marianne Delaney-Hoshek (Assistant Coach Netball Quad Series), Reinga Bloxham (Assistant Coach Constellation Cup).
• New Zealand A:  Yvette McCausland-Durie (Head Coach), Kiri Wills (Assistant Coach), Meghan Robinson (Team Manager).
• FAST5 Ferns:  Deb Fuller (Head Coach), Helene Wilson (Assistant Coach), Leanne Harris (Team Manager).