Yvette McCausland-Durie: Silver Ferns interim coach speaks as Taini Jamison trophy series gets under way

Despite all the headlines Netball New Zealand are attracting right now, there is still a Taini Jamison trophy that needs to be played for!

Last night the Silver Ferns side to take on the South African Proteas was named ahead of the tournament getting underway on Sunday night.

Yvette McCausland-Durie is the interim head coach of the Silver Ferns following the standing down of Dame Noeline Taurua and she caught up with D'Arcy to talk about the squad she's named for the series.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Waldegrave
from news Talk z'd be all.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
The headlines around at netboard and New Zealand have been
pretty ugly, but let's look at the positives. There's a
tiny Jamison trophy that's going to get played for. So
the Silver Ferns last night named the side to take
on the South Africans. The proteus that's happening gets underway
on Sunday night. Evet mccauson Jury's the interim coach, the
placeholder coach of the Ferns. She joins us, now talk

(00:35):
a bit about the team and the selection and the
list goes on and welcome to this show event.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
I trust you well, thank you very much here, good
to be here.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
And great to be talking to you again. My mind,
what a week you look back two weeks time, could
we even have imagined the situation Netball New Zealand or
most important you would be in right now?

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Evet, no, not at all. We're just leaping into the
end of the term and thinking, oh, yes, a little
bit of a break, but that makes you been helpful
because the timing to be able to come in and
complete this role has meant that it hasn't had a
major interruption in terms of school life. So yeah, what are.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Your expectations around this role. What do you hope to bring,
what do you hope to leave, What do the athletes think,
what Denise Ella Netball want out of this? I suppose
is a rude to call it a place say the position.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Of it totally. I'm absolutely clear that I'm here as
an interim in the role for this series. The key
things that we want to achieve, as everybody would expect,
they expect the Silver Fans to win. They expect them
to win every game, so that kind of pressure never
leaves you, and I'm quite comfortable with that expectation. I
think that's realistic. Equally realistic that South Africa an outstanding team.

(01:50):
So we've got a few days players return back in
to the environment as of tomorrow and we prepare for
those teeth matches ahead. So yeah, look, I think for me,
it's making sure that what I do doesn't have to
have impact, I guess, and has the ability to really
just understand what they've been doing. There's lot's a great

(02:12):
pieces of work that have been put in place by
Nolan and Dead around the system around leadership, structures, around
where people fit and do what they do. So I
was grateful to be able to have that camp last
week just to settle and spend lots of time late
nights just reading lots of material and getting up to
speed with everything. But look, it's a real privilege to

(02:35):
be here. It's the privilege to work with these players,
and yeah, take the opportunity and do my very best.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Presuming you've had zero contact with Dame Nolen or any
of her staff.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
No, I haven't had any contact with Nolean. Some of
the management group are still here and engage so and
the players are here that have been before. Of course,
there were seven new members who had been named in
that squad, so we got to celebrate their first time
and what that means to be a silver Fern and
the legacy. So that was really lovely to see. You know,

(03:11):
you forget about all those things. There's lots of first
and heytus is unprecedented times. We haven't been here before,
and want to just do this respectfully. Understand that I'm,
as I said before, here in an interim role, but
want to make sure we do well.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Have you addressed the tumult with the players with anybody,
have you actually sat and looked at this, run it
over once twice, or just gone past it and thought
that's not my bag.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yeah, a little bit of both. I don't have all
of the detail and I didn't feel that one I
needed to. But the big bit I have had is
on the first day in camp, the team meeting was
certainly you know, challenging space and emotional, and this is
a group of players who have a relationship, a long
standing relationship with a coach, and so it's been really

(04:00):
hard for them. I was really impressed with the way
in which they just every day kept working hard to
make sure that present and to make sure they are
able to do their jobs. And as young professionals, that's
all we can ask is that every day they keep
moving forward.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Now you look across the squad that you've named, you
feel light in any area or not that I'm in
aficionado when it comes to netpor, look at wiki soundin
Hafen and VOUI maybe a little light in the circle.
Is that a fair thing to say?

Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yeah, we've got four circle shooters and one of the
things that is probably the biggest challenge is developing the
goal attach piece, so Martina Fielder and Georgia Heffen and
Georgia has played quite a bit there throughout the season
for the Steel and the other two have had time.
But really that's the opportunity ahead is Grace is a

(04:52):
world class athlete. The others have that ability to feed her.
They have the ability to bring speed, They've got shooting range.
So I'm confident, having come out of the end of
that first camp in that trial, that they're going to
step up and you know when their opportunity comes own
that goal attack piece. So specifically, obviously Amelia Ran has
finished and she was there for such a long time

(05:15):
and holding that position with her great performances. So now
it's just that ability to grow somebody else through there.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
Joined by e Et Nicols and Jerry who's taken over
the role temporarily from Dame mc nolan. Turdu you said
they're still part of her staff involved. Have you been
very careful to not upset the apple cart too much
around where they were taking this team? How much information
you've been given that you've expanded on and how much

(05:42):
of your own have you brought to the party.

Speaker 3 (05:45):
I've obviously had the opportunity and previously to be engaged
with the Silver Firms program and as an AMC Premiership
coach you met with all of the support service providers
and to make sure that you are preparing your athletes
for international duty. So have had long standing relationships for
the number of people here and so that it was

(06:06):
a really great pieces. People know you, people know you,
know your intent, and my intent has been really clear
that I'm here in an interim role to ensure we
prepare this group well and everybody plays their parts. So
I've got a part to play. Everybody has a piece,
and what I've enjoyed is seeing the leadership and how

(06:28):
leader full this group is. Particularly last week I had
an opportunity where the four groups presented their plan and
what they've been working on and what their hopes are
in terms of what they want to achieve. And there's
two groups that work on on court specific task and
there's two groups that work on the off court piece.
So yeah, look, it's a challenging time. Everybody's accepted that,

(06:51):
and some people still carry that with a bit of heaviness,
but by and large it's been with that ability to
somewhat compartmentalize and still keep moving forward towards what is
the job and the task? As you know young professional athlete.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
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