Netball: Advantages for Taurua in background

Noeline Taurua.

She was the coach behind New Zealand's only transtasman league win. Now she is the coach behind Northern Mystics mentor Debbie Fuller.

But Noeline Taurua, who guided the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic to six straight finals appearances, including their grand final win in 2012, is finding advantages in playing a background role.

She spent her first few weeks inside the Mystics camp this month, following a year out from the ANZ Championship. Given she was not interested in the Silver Ferns assistant coaching job in 2013, preferring to lead the programme, Taurua's decision to sign on as Fuller's understudy was considered a curious move.

They are close friends from their time as teammates at club, provincial and national level. There was also the carrot of leading Netball North's coach development programme. But so far Taurua is finding the fact she is not the leader the most enjoyable part of the job.

"I think what it allows me to do is get in there on the ground and actually coach and that's what I'm relishing at the moment."

The decision to bring Taurua on board was a bold move from Fuller, too. Few coaches would want a more decorated and experienced coach as their assistant.

But Fuller believes working with Taurua will be a more natural fit for her own coaching style.

Taurua adds: "We both want to be better coaches. So we're not scared if we see something there to actually say it and have each other up about it."

With just two finals finishes in seven seasons the Mystics have a reputation as the flakes of the competition. Taurua doesn't care. "It makes me think of the line from Kung Fu Panda - history is history. Because I've come from the outside so to speak, that's all I see it as." NZME.