There was no gold medal for Dame Noeline Taurua to hold in her hand after the Silver Ferns won their first Commonwealth Games title in 16 years.
That’s the nature of these Games – only athletes are rewarded with the silverware. The Ferns head coach, though, was simply content with “a nice cup of tea”. No sugar added: the victory, following the most turbulent period in New Zealand netball history, was sweet enough for Noeline.
Whatever the 58-year- old’s future as national coach, she will always hold the title of champion in netball’s two biggest events – the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
It’s been an emotional and challenging year for Noeline – a 51-day stand-down as coach last September, then only handed her team back a few weeks before the Games began. Yet in the moments after the 56-48 final win over Jamaica in Glasgow, she was serene and measured.
Leading with heart
A mum of five and grandmother, Noeline smiled as she held a tearful Grace Nweke, 24, in her arms – rather than redemption, she spoke of the sweetness and enjoyment that came with victory.
“It’s always an honour for me to be able to coach the Silver Ferns,” she said from the noisy team bus headed to a celebration at New Zealand House.
“Every occasion like this is special, whether we win or lose, because it’s about our intent and the legacy of the Silver Ferns. “It’s also the collective effort to even get to the gold medal match. Every day we were together, we grew stronger and we found our uniqueness. It was such a pleasure to coach this team.”
Just once, she let the mask slip, saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Noeline’s team talk before the final was short and sweet.
“I talked about enjoyment – that we had to enjoy this moment, acknowledge where we were and the work that had been done to get this far. And that we were ready.”
A captain’s tribute
And the Ferns responded to her words with a win over the Sunshine Girls, who shocked the netball world by eliminating world champions Australia in their semifinal – the first time in Games history the Diamonds didn’t play for gold.
Leading the side to victory as captain, Karin Burger, 33, carried Noeline’s faith in the team out on court.
“When Noels truly believes in a group, she will make sure every single person joins the waka towards the same goal,” she says.
“She ensures everybody believes in themselves the way she does. She carries so much mana and so much love – not just for the sport, but for every single player.”
Sixteen years in the making
It was 16 years since the Silver Ferns last won Commonwealth Games gold – back in New Delhi when Irene van Dyk, now 54, was part of the side. The legendary shooter was in Glasgow, ready to hug Noeline – who coached her in the champion Magic side – after the latest victory.
Sixteen appears to be the Ferns’ number of destiny. It also separated their World Cup wins in 1987, 2003 and 2019 – the last of those when Noeline was called on to turn around the fortunes of a struggling Kiwi side.
“We have that 16-year thing happening and it’s a long time between drinks,” Noeline says.
“The opportunity to play for a gold medal doesn’t come around too often for us. So we’re grateful we got here.”
What’s next for Noeline
The Ferns return home to more celebrations but also uncertainty, with the future of their domestic league, the ANZ Premiership, still in doubt.
Noeline doesn’t see players heading overseas next season as a bad thing – she encouraged five of this Ferns squad to play in Australia’s Super Netball League this season.
Noeline explains, “I always knew the opportunity to play against a quality opposition week in week out, and be in a full-time programme, would make a difference. “They brought that back into the Silver Ferns and linked up with those who’d played in New Zealand with great intentions. The mix is absolutely beautiful.”
Noeline’s international future may also be unclear, with her Silver Ferns contract about to end. But for now, she wants to simply live in this glittering moment.
She then has other work to do, returning to her roots to coach Tauranga at the national championships next month. One of the greatest brains the game has seen, Noeline’s not done with netball yet.
