John MacDonald: Netball's woes are more than just hoopla

Mike Hosking’s interview this morning with reinstated Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua could only have gone one of two ways.

She could have spilled the beans. Or she could have danced around the legalities of a gagging order.

She could have spilled the beans and made Netball NZ look like a bunch of incompetents. Or she could have played it safe.

Funny thing is, she didn’t spill the beans - but still managed to make Netball NZ look like a bunch of incompetents, when she said she was never informed why she was stood down and that there was no investigation into the claims made about her.

That was the point where the interview was getting really curious and then, bang, she was being ushered away to a TV interview and had to end the call - promising to call back later.

It was probably the point too where text messages full of exclamation marks started flying between the honchos at Netball NZ.

Prior to that, Dame Noeline had said to Mike that she felt somewhat vindicated being reinstated.

She said she was elated to be back but described the last few months as being “very horriffic”.

Dame Noeline also confired to Mike that she was constrained in terms of what she could say. She said she could have taken legal action to get her job back - because she believes most of the players support her - but she didn’t want Netball NZ money and taxpayer money being blown on lawyers.

If I was a suspicious person, I would say that Dame Noeline and her PR minder realised she might have crossed the line talking about the lack of an explanation and the lack of an investigation, and that’s why she ended the call.

But I did check the TV and she was on-screen a short time after she spoke with Mike.

Either way, I think Netball NZ is looking worse today than it has during this whole saga.

To stand down its head coach without telling her why and without conducting any sort of investigation screams “Mickey Mouse” to me.

And shows why chief executive Jennie Wyllie couldn’t explain last week why Dame Noeline was back.

This has turned out to be more of a cluster than we thought.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Now Mike's interview this morning? Did you hear it? As
an interview with reinstated Silver Fern's coach Dame Nolene Tarda.
I reckon they could have gone two ways. One of
two ways she could have spilled the beans, or she
could have danced around the legalities of a gagging order.
She could have spilled the beans and made Netbourne, New

(00:35):
Zealand look like a bunch of incompetence, or she could
have played it safe. Funny thing is she didn't spill
the beans. She's stuck to the gagging order, but she
still managed to make Netburne, New Zealand look like a
bunch of incompetence because here's what she said when Mike
asked her why she was still down.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
My truth is I don't know. So that's where my
lawyers came to help in regards to negotiations and to
find out what the truth and then to work through
the process for me to come back.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
And then he asked her, as if that wasn't enough,
what Netball New Zealand had done after it stood her down,
which she doesn't know the reasons for, but what it
did after it stood her down, and what sort of
investigation it did into the claims made against her. There
wasn't an investigation, so there was no investigation at all. No,

(01:33):
So that was the point where the interview was getting
really curious. And then and then bang, she was being
ushered away to a TV interview and had had to
end the call promising to call back later or call
back later. So it was a bit weird and it
was probably the point too where the text messages full
of exclamation marks started flying between all the honhows that

(01:54):
Netball New Zealand. Did you hear what she just said?

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Prior to that, Dame Nolene said to Mike that she
feels somewhat vindicated, somewhat vindicated being reinstated, and she she
try did out all the usual stuff that was at
the safe stage of things, such as how elated she
is to be back, and that it feels like game
day and that she doesn't take the job lightly and
she doesn't own the role and all of that sort

(02:18):
of I wouldn't say conciliatory stuff, but you know, all
of that safe stuff. She described the last few months
as quote very horrific, and she did confirm to Mike
upfront that she is constrained in terms of what she
contained and that she intends to honor that, but there

(02:38):
is a balance in act because she wants to share
what she said several times or described several times as
her truth. I thought it was interesting she said that
she could have taken legal action to get the job
back because she believes that most of the players and
the team support her. But she says she didn't do
that because she didn't want that born New Zealand spending

(03:00):
money blowing money on lawyers, and she didn't want tax
pay money being blown on lawyers. And that was the
point where we got to about there being no investigation.
And that was the point where Dame Nolen, after dancing
on the head of a pin, as you would expect
with a gagging order, after dancing on the head of
a pin, she still managed to throw a netball in

(03:22):
New Zealand under a bus. Now, if I was a
suspicious person, maybe you're more suspicious than me. But if
I was suspicious, I would say that Dame Nolen and
her pr mind realized at that point that she might
have crossed the line and you know, saying a bit
about no investigation, and that's why she entered the call.

(03:43):
But I did do a check because I thought you
might be suspicious, and I did check, and she was
on TV and zed a short time after she was
on with Mike. Either way, I reckon Netborne is Zealand
is looking worse this morning than it has during this
whole saga you think about it, to stand down your

(04:03):
head coach without telling you why and without conducting any
sort of investigation, that screams one thing to me? Was
it screamed to you? Screams one thing to me, Mickey Mouse.
And it shows now why chief executive Jenny Whey couldn't
explain last week why Dame Nolean was back. Well they

(04:25):
didn't apparently, then I don't know why she was gone
in the first place, So how can you explain why
she's back? And this has turned out to be more
of a cluster that we thought it was.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
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