Ruth Aitkin announced last week she would be stepping down as national coach. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Among the many lines favoured by top coaches to dole out from time to time is this one: "To stand still is to go backwards".
So it is vexing to see Netball New Zealand's stop-gap coaching solution for the national team has essentially placed the Silver Ferns in a holding
pattern for the rest of the year.
Ruth Aitken, who last week announced she was stepping down as national coach, will continue on in the position for the remaining tests this year in an interim role. The Magic coach Noeline Taurua was yesterday named as her assistant for the two remaining series.
Waimarama Taumaunu, the Ferns' assistant coach for the past four years, and considered by many to be Aitken's natural successor for the top job, declined the opportunity to be involved with the series in order to concentrate on her application for the head coaching role.
Taurua, another contender for the top job, will likely be on trial over the upcoming matches to see what she can bring to the national programme before an official appointment is made in November.
In the meantime the Ferns' development will be stalled.
Under the guidance of Aitken the Ferns are obviously in steady hands, and while it will be interesting to see what Taurua adds to the mix in an international environment, there is little either of them can really achieve in a caretaker role.
These five tests - two against England and three against Australia - presented an opportunity for a new management team to get the ball rolling for the next four years.
Instead, we'll have to wait until next year to see any real development strategies put in place. By that stage new Australian coach Lisa Alexander will be charging ahead with her plans. With the world champion Australian side boasting a young team with plenty of room to grow, it is not the time for the Ferns to be sitting still.
