September 29, 2025 • 12 mins
The Silver Ferns' 3-nil series win over South Africa has been eclipsed by a call from shooter Grace Nweke for Dame Noeline Taurua to return as coach.
Taurua had been stood down for the series due to an ongoing internal review.
Former Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Silver Fern Star shoot to Grace Wicki has pleaded for
absent coach Dame Noleine Todoer to return WHEK. He made
the plea shortly after New Zealand's nail biting win over
South Africa in the third Tiny Jamison Test and in
the cargo last night.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I think it's from this to celebrate the success without
acknowledging Nolan toad to her and the work she's done
for this team. Nole says, you're listening, we love you
and we miss you and we want you back here.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Former Silver Fern's coach and now radio analyst, Yvonne Willering
is with us. Evon, thanks for joining us tonight. What
did you make of Grace Weeki's postgame comments last night?
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Well, I think that it actually caught all of us
by surprise. I resumed the radio commentary and when she
took the microphone and going, oh what's going to happen here?
And yeah, I guess a lot of that was frustration.
Probably people will say that, and I agree. The timing
was not ideal. I mean South Africa was there, they'd
only just lost that last test, so you know, at
(01:15):
that stage it was really about the tiny Jameson Trophy.
But having said that, you know when, I mean you
could see Grace was frustrated.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
And when does he then get an opportunity to have
us say?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
And then I look at, you know, the whole situation,
and the Players Association at some stage should have stepped
into all of this, you know, And they're not just
there to represent the players that have had a grievance
since the January camp.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
This is about all players involved.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
And so yeah, I think that that was more frustration
than any anything else. And I do believe that her
wording was we and not just I, because some people
have said, oh, it's because of that, you know, just
how she reacted. I mean, obviously there is a great
deal of respect between the two parties, but I think
it does go beyond that.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, and that was the interesting part for me as well, Yvonne,
that she said we miss you, we want you back.
Do you think Grace was speaking on behalf of the
team she.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Was speaking, I'd say on the majority. I think there
might still be grievances. Otherwise, why has this taken so
long to you know, to come to some understanding with this.
So yeah, and again, yeah, it's a situation. Yet she
was the acting captain. I think that she appreciated that,
and yeah, I guess she just sees the opportunity and yeah,
(02:31):
it did catch us by surprise. But also now it's
in a situation. Unfortunately it's all being done out in
the open, but there's a lot of stuff that's happening
behind closed doors. And I just wish that, you know,
even if like the Players Association, Neple, New Zealand, whoever,
if they just come out and even if they said, look,
we're going through the process there these are the issues,
(02:53):
you know, and hopefully we will resolve them very soon.
But they've been saying that between you know, even before
the tiny Jamison and now we don't know whether we're
going into Constellation Cup with Dave Nolink or at the
Helm or again we've got these interim coaching coaches going
through and you know, I'm with lots of people getting
(03:14):
frustrated right now and saying make some decisions, and you know,
and we most of us still don't know exactly what's happening.
And it's not about that we need to know the
ins and outs. That's not a problem, but somewhere along
the line we need to know exactly, you know, what
is going on going into the future.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And you're so Rightyvon, because what the Constellation Cup is
now less than three weeks away our biggest rivals, Australia
Home and Away tests. You know, surely there must be
a quick resolution to this or can you not see
that happening? Are we at a point where actually, if
we couldn't resolve it before the Tiny Jemison, if we
don't have time before the Constellation Cup either.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Well, yeah, I think they have been put under a
lot more pressure now that Grayson Wicky has come out
and spoken, and maybe that's opened the door for other
players to stay case. I don't know whether contractually they
have to keep quiet, but it just seems to me
that day all the people that are actually concerning all
this are keeping quiet, and people like myself who sit
(04:18):
on the outside of all this, you know, and have
a lot of concern for what's happening. You know, we're
basically just voicing our opinions, but it needs to go
deeper than that. And to me, yeah, like they're saying
we want, like I know, Jenny Wiley has said, we
want an early resolution to all this, and I'm going yep,
but this could have happened then before the tiny Jemison Trophy,
(04:39):
And yeah, that's interesting. The Silver Firms go back into
camp next week and they will be a team that
will be selected and maybe a squad selected, because don't forget,
they've got a team of a squad of eighteen and
Warmsley will be back in that equation having come back
from the World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, so you know
that's got to be selected. And who's going to select
(05:02):
that team and they said it's going to be within
the next two days, while I like to know who
is doing that selection. And the person that knows all
these players the best of anyone else is name nol
In Taora, and she knows what the projection is, what
they're trying to achieve going forward. She is the one
that wanted this camp next week, and she was already.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
Organized all this stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
And I've spoken to her and you know, she is
so keen still to take the Silver Ferns and all
the stuff that's happened, and yet she has still wanted
to be there she you know, despite all the stress,
she believes and what she stands for. She believes in
the silver Ferns and that's why she just needs to
be addressed.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Is there any scenario then, Yvonne, under which Dave Nolene
just gets a bit fed up with us, it's taking
too long, there's no resolution, she just walks away and
takes her services elsewhere. Or does she want to be
silver Ferns coach and silver Ferns coach?
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Only Look, she's hanging in there. She's hung in there
all this time, you know, And yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
I'm with you, I'm going whoa.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I'm not sure if I could have just carried on,
you know, but why take the easy option in her
case when she totally believes in what she's doing and
she still isn't I'm not sure, but you know, I
don't think that she quite understands exactly what went down
in that January camp that was so bad, And it's
interesting all the action and all the focus is on her.
(06:27):
But appreciate all three coaches have been stood down, and
that includes dead Fuller as the assistant and also Bryoni
Ackle the Swiss coach. You know, they've all been stood down. Now,
this was just a grievance against Daan nol In Tarru.
I go, well, why wasn't dead Fuller then put in
charge or did she elect not to be available? And
(06:48):
none of us really know the answers to that. So yeah,
it's just got to be resolved. And yeah, and she
wants to hang in there. Look, obviously there must.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Be lawyers involved as well.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
And I look at it and I'm going, this is
a passionate coach. They're starting to question and her credibility
as a high performance coach. Listen, that head hunts her
from the lightning initially. Has she changed over time to
suit today's players? Absolutely shares She is not an old
school coach. I know that because I am you know,
(07:23):
and I know that the players of today they are
They're not more demanding, but it's very much about them
and to have that involvement, and we talk about players
centered coaching. Don't have a problem with that, and certainly
you know Dame Noline. She Look, I've seen her in
action with all these players and with management, and it's
normally very open communication. But somewhere on the line, I
(07:47):
question how honest that communication has been?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
How much say, should the players be given in deciding
who their coach should or shouldn't be.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Yeah, yeah, it's not for it's not for players to
determine that. And that's that's why it's really interesting. At
the moment we have what we call these interim coaches,
and I think they were appointed by one or two individuals.
Appreciate if they're not in taor is not. If she
(08:18):
does oh you know whatever word, she's no longer required
a silver firm's coach, then really it has to be
open applications. And again you have a panel with some
people sitting from the board of Neple News Dealer. But
also they need outside either sporting people or outside people
that have a knowledge of exactly what's required for elite sport,
(08:41):
for the high performance environment, so you know, this is
not a situation. Sometimes they do have a captain involved
in the situation. Don't have a problem with that as
it is then from a playing perspective, but it is
not up to players to determine who the coach should
be because the ones that make the team, you know,
will always be going, you know, we'll always be right
(09:05):
there for the coach. Whereas the ones that don't or
have grievances will always go the negative stunt. So yeah,
I think you've got to be very careful how much
power the different different people have in this whole scenario.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Well, the weight of public opinion seems to me anyway,
to be heavily in favor of Dame Nolene. You move
in Neple circles, you chat to a lot of people involved,
deeply involved, and deeply passionate about the game, Yvorn, Is
that the feel you get as well, that the weight
of public opinion is behind Dame noling Totu.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, because and part of that is because one she
is being questioned as a coach, but also the way
in which it has been done. I mean, before we
all knew it. I knew that the things were amiss
when I when I spoiled, I suppose to day knowledge saying,
you know about the camp that was supposed to happen
the next day. And I said to her mate, where
(09:57):
is it happening, because I was I was going to
go to it, and she said, no, time out, We're
not actually having it, you know, And so you know,
we're all left in the dark. And I know that
Sidney Life members have come out, and the main reason
for this is really the integrity of the sport and
the way things in a way haven't been handled.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
But it wasn't it interesting? The Southern crowd.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Appreciate, they love Dave Noli Tarrus, She's coached down there,
and they were always going to be in favor of her.
But I know that from throughout the whole country. Yeah,
there is a great support for her. But I look
at this and I'm going, it's about a situation that occurred.
Surely they're not questioning her credibility as a high performance coach.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Just to finish. Then what is your best guess about
whether this will be resolved in time for Dan Noline
to take over again? If in fact that's the outcome,
Is this going to be resolved in John Herd a
select and coach a team for the Constellation.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Cup, it should be resolved.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
I think that with Grayson and Wicky coming out, and
when I heard that, I'm going, oh, this is going
to really mean that. You know, it's going to force
in a way nep On New Zealand to have some
honest conversations and really work to try to resolve these issues.
Can they go through to the Consolation Cup with interim
coaches and certainly not make the players any wiser than
(11:24):
what's happening.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
I think we're going to be in trouble, and I
think that we.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Need to have some honesty around that and just basically
state what is happening. Not we don't need to know
that as the outside public, but certainly the players need
to know that. And I think they're just getting frustrated.
And you know, you can say by having day Noline
back for the Constellation Cup, it's you know, you really
need that stability in the team going through from Tiny
(11:49):
Jamison to Constellation Cup. Don't buy that she's been with
the team. She knows the team, she knows all the
players that are involved in the actual.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Squad, she knows what she's trying to.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Achieve going forward leading into the Calm Game. So I
think that's an easy transition. She is available, and another
she's available if she gets the roll back for the
Constellation Cup. So yeah, if this drives on, you know,
I think people are going to get more and more frustrated,
and I think the general public are going to get
(12:21):
more and more involved, and our sport does.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
Not need that.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Let's say a resolution is forthcoming and arrives quickly. Evon
Willering always appreciate your time, Thanks for joining us, pleasure.
There you go. Evon Willaring, former Silver Ferns coach. Very
tightly connected in the netball community with some very interesting
thoughts there.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news Talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Silver Fern Star shoot to Grace Wicki has pleaded for
absent coach Dame Noleine Todoer to return WHEK. He made
the plea shortly after New Zealand's nail biting win over
South Africa in the third Tiny Jamison Test and in
the cargo last night.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I think it's from this to celebrate the success without
acknowledging Nolan toad to her and the work she's done
for this team. Nole says, you're listening, we love you
and we miss you and we want you back here.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Former Silver Fern's coach and now radio analyst, Yvonne Willering
is with us. Evon, thanks for joining us tonight. What
did you make of Grace Weeki's postgame comments last night?
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Well, I think that it actually caught all of us
by surprise. I resumed the radio commentary and when she
took the microphone and going, oh what's going to happen here?
And yeah, I guess a lot of that was frustration.
Probably people will say that, and I agree. The timing
was not ideal. I mean South Africa was there, they'd
only just lost that last test, so you know, at
(01:15):
that stage it was really about the tiny Jameson Trophy.
But having said that, you know when, I mean you
could see Grace was frustrated.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
And when does he then get an opportunity to have
us say?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
And then I look at, you know, the whole situation,
and the Players Association at some stage should have stepped
into all of this, you know, And they're not just
there to represent the players that have had a grievance
since the January camp.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
This is about all players involved.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
And so yeah, I think that that was more frustration
than any anything else. And I do believe that her
wording was we and not just I, because some people
have said, oh, it's because of that, you know, just
how she reacted. I mean, obviously there is a great
deal of respect between the two parties, but I think
it does go beyond that.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, and that was the interesting part for me as well, Yvonne,
that she said we miss you, we want you back.
Do you think Grace was speaking on behalf of the
team she.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Was speaking, I'd say on the majority. I think there
might still be grievances. Otherwise, why has this taken so
long to you know, to come to some understanding with this.
So yeah, and again, yeah, it's a situation. Yet she
was the acting captain. I think that she appreciated that,
and yeah, I guess she just sees the opportunity and yeah,
(02:31):
it did catch us by surprise. But also now it's
in a situation. Unfortunately it's all being done out in
the open, but there's a lot of stuff that's happening
behind closed doors. And I just wish that, you know,
even if like the Players Association, Neple, New Zealand, whoever,
if they just come out and even if they said, look,
we're going through the process there these are the issues,
(02:53):
you know, and hopefully we will resolve them very soon.
But they've been saying that between you know, even before
the tiny Jamison and now we don't know whether we're
going into Constellation Cup with Dave Nolink or at the
Helm or again we've got these interim coaching coaches going
through and you know, I'm with lots of people getting
(03:14):
frustrated right now and saying make some decisions, and you know,
and we most of us still don't know exactly what's happening.
And it's not about that we need to know the
ins and outs. That's not a problem, but somewhere along
the line we need to know exactly, you know, what
is going on going into the future.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And you're so Rightyvon, because what the Constellation Cup is
now less than three weeks away our biggest rivals, Australia
Home and Away tests. You know, surely there must be
a quick resolution to this or can you not see
that happening? Are we at a point where actually, if
we couldn't resolve it before the Tiny Jemison, if we
don't have time before the Constellation Cup either.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Well, yeah, I think they have been put under a
lot more pressure now that Grayson Wicky has come out
and spoken, and maybe that's opened the door for other
players to stay case. I don't know whether contractually they
have to keep quiet, but it just seems to me
that day all the people that are actually concerning all
this are keeping quiet, and people like myself who sit
(04:18):
on the outside of all this, you know, and have
a lot of concern for what's happening. You know, we're
basically just voicing our opinions, but it needs to go
deeper than that. And to me, yeah, like they're saying
we want, like I know, Jenny Wiley has said, we
want an early resolution to all this, and I'm going yep,
but this could have happened then before the tiny Jemison Trophy,
(04:39):
And yeah, that's interesting. The Silver Firms go back into
camp next week and they will be a team that
will be selected and maybe a squad selected, because don't forget,
they've got a team of a squad of eighteen and
Warmsley will be back in that equation having come back
from the World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, so you know
that's got to be selected. And who's going to select
(05:02):
that team and they said it's going to be within
the next two days, while I like to know who
is doing that selection. And the person that knows all
these players the best of anyone else is name nol
In Taora, and she knows what the projection is, what
they're trying to achieve going forward. She is the one
that wanted this camp next week, and she was already.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
Organized all this stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
And I've spoken to her and you know, she is
so keen still to take the Silver Ferns and all
the stuff that's happened, and yet she has still wanted
to be there she you know, despite all the stress,
she believes and what she stands for. She believes in
the silver Ferns and that's why she just needs to
be addressed.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Is there any scenario then, Yvonne, under which Dave Nolene
just gets a bit fed up with us, it's taking
too long, there's no resolution, she just walks away and
takes her services elsewhere. Or does she want to be
silver Ferns coach and silver Ferns coach?
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Only Look, she's hanging in there. She's hung in there
all this time, you know, And yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
I'm with you, I'm going whoa.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I'm not sure if I could have just carried on,
you know, but why take the easy option in her
case when she totally believes in what she's doing and
she still isn't I'm not sure, but you know, I
don't think that she quite understands exactly what went down
in that January camp that was so bad, And it's
interesting all the action and all the focus is on her.
(06:27):
But appreciate all three coaches have been stood down, and
that includes dead Fuller as the assistant and also Bryoni
Ackle the Swiss coach. You know, they've all been stood down. Now,
this was just a grievance against Daan nol In Tarru.
I go, well, why wasn't dead Fuller then put in
charge or did she elect not to be available? And
(06:48):
none of us really know the answers to that. So yeah,
it's just got to be resolved. And yeah, and she
wants to hang in there. Look, obviously there must.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Be lawyers involved as well.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
And I look at it and I'm going, this is
a passionate coach. They're starting to question and her credibility
as a high performance coach. Listen, that head hunts her
from the lightning initially. Has she changed over time to
suit today's players? Absolutely shares She is not an old
school coach. I know that because I am you know,
(07:23):
and I know that the players of today they are
They're not more demanding, but it's very much about them
and to have that involvement, and we talk about players
centered coaching. Don't have a problem with that, and certainly
you know Dame Noline. She Look, I've seen her in
action with all these players and with management, and it's
normally very open communication. But somewhere on the line, I
(07:47):
question how honest that communication has been?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
How much say, should the players be given in deciding
who their coach should or shouldn't be.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Yeah, yeah, it's not for it's not for players to
determine that. And that's that's why it's really interesting. At
the moment we have what we call these interim coaches,
and I think they were appointed by one or two individuals.
Appreciate if they're not in taor is not. If she
(08:18):
does oh you know whatever word, she's no longer required
a silver firm's coach, then really it has to be
open applications. And again you have a panel with some
people sitting from the board of Neple News Dealer. But
also they need outside either sporting people or outside people
that have a knowledge of exactly what's required for elite sport,
(08:41):
for the high performance environment, so you know, this is
not a situation. Sometimes they do have a captain involved
in the situation. Don't have a problem with that as
it is then from a playing perspective, but it is
not up to players to determine who the coach should
be because the ones that make the team, you know,
will always be going, you know, we'll always be right
(09:05):
there for the coach. Whereas the ones that don't or
have grievances will always go the negative stunt. So yeah,
I think you've got to be very careful how much
power the different different people have in this whole scenario.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Well, the weight of public opinion seems to me anyway,
to be heavily in favor of Dame Nolene. You move
in Neple circles, you chat to a lot of people involved,
deeply involved, and deeply passionate about the game, Yvorn, Is
that the feel you get as well, that the weight
of public opinion is behind Dame noling Totu.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, because and part of that is because one she
is being questioned as a coach, but also the way
in which it has been done. I mean, before we
all knew it. I knew that the things were amiss
when I when I spoiled, I suppose to day knowledge saying,
you know about the camp that was supposed to happen
the next day. And I said to her mate, where
(09:57):
is it happening, because I was I was going to
go to it, and she said, no, time out, We're
not actually having it, you know, And so you know,
we're all left in the dark. And I know that
Sidney Life members have come out, and the main reason
for this is really the integrity of the sport and
the way things in a way haven't been handled.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
But it wasn't it interesting? The Southern crowd.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Appreciate, they love Dave Noli Tarrus, She's coached down there,
and they were always going to be in favor of her.
But I know that from throughout the whole country. Yeah,
there is a great support for her. But I look
at this and I'm going, it's about a situation that occurred.
Surely they're not questioning her credibility as a high performance coach.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Just to finish. Then what is your best guess about
whether this will be resolved in time for Dan Noline
to take over again? If in fact that's the outcome,
Is this going to be resolved in John Herd a
select and coach a team for the Constellation.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Cup, it should be resolved.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
I think that with Grayson and Wicky coming out, and
when I heard that, I'm going, oh, this is going
to really mean that. You know, it's going to force
in a way nep On New Zealand to have some
honest conversations and really work to try to resolve these issues.
Can they go through to the Consolation Cup with interim
coaches and certainly not make the players any wiser than
(11:24):
what's happening.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
I think we're going to be in trouble, and I
think that we.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Need to have some honesty around that and just basically
state what is happening. Not we don't need to know
that as the outside public, but certainly the players need
to know that. And I think they're just getting frustrated.
And you know, you can say by having day Noline
back for the Constellation Cup, it's you know, you really
need that stability in the team going through from Tiny
(11:49):
Jamison to Constellation Cup. Don't buy that she's been with
the team. She knows the team, she knows all the
players that are involved in the actual.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Squad, she knows what she's trying to.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Achieve going forward leading into the Calm Game. So I
think that's an easy transition. She is available, and another
she's available if she gets the roll back for the
Constellation Cup. So yeah, if this drives on, you know,
I think people are going to get more and more frustrated,
and I think the general public are going to get
(12:21):
more and more involved, and our sport does.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
Not need that.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Let's say a resolution is forthcoming and arrives quickly. Evon
Willering always appreciate your time, Thanks for joining us, pleasure.
There you go. Evon Willaring, former Silver Ferns coach. Very
tightly connected in the netball community with some very interesting
thoughts there.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news Talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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