Netball: Ferns' review targets leadership and culture

Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu's player management has drawn criticism. Photo / Greg Bowker

Report finds Wai Taumaunu and management team must empower players.

Waimarama Taumaunu's leadership style and a lack of team culture has come under scrutiny following a review into the Silver Ferns' dismal 2014 season.

The New Zealand side's international season, the lowlights of which included a difficult, injury-ridden Commonwealth Games campaign and 4-0 series loss to Australia in the Constellation Cup, was the subject of an independent review last month as Netball NZ seek to address the team's failings ahead of next year's World Cup. The Silver Ferns have lost nine straight games to the Diamonds - several of those by large margins - and more worryingly, have not beaten their Australian rivals without Irene van Dyk in the shooting circle since February 1999.

The review took in feedback from Ferns players, coaches, management and support staff, with much of the report focusing on areas that have been publicly identified - a lack of experience in the shooting end along with the need for the team to be better conditioned for a tournament campaign and more focus on mental skills.

But most revealing were the issues raised by the New Zealand netball players' association (NZNPA). The Herald understands some of the feedback from the players has been toned down in the final document, but the report is still critical of the limited role players have in decision making, the focus on individual statistics rather than team culture and the absence of any team-building initiatives.

NZNPA executive manager Steph Bond said the chief concern of the players was that their voices were not being heard in the team environment, with Taumaunu and assistant coach Vicki Wilson taking a dictatorial approach.

"I think there needs to be a deliberate change in thinking from management and coaches to enable the players to get the opportunity to lead," said Bond. "There's obviously some really experienced players in there and they've all been there before so they know how to do it, a key learning was about giving them the opportunity to actually stand up and be leaders."

Concerns were also raised in the review that the team had lost a sense of "spirit and connectedness", with too much emphasis placed in camp on training longer and harder and no thought given to building team unity. One of the strengths of Taumaunu's predecessor Ruth Aitken was her openness to outside ideas and her ability to empower the players to take the lead in running the campaign.

While there has been a level of player unrest in the camp this year, Bond stresses there is no suggestion they are trying to unseat Taumaunu.

"In terms of game plan and strategy and everything like that they're all very supportive of Wai, but there is a need for team management to create an environment that empowers the players more," she said.

Taumaunu told the Herald last month she had taken steps to allow more player input, extending the leadership group from just two players - captain Casey Kopua and vice-captain Laura Langman - to five, adding Liana Leota, Jodi Brown and Katrina Grant.

The national coach also acknowledged there needed to be more balance to the programme. She wanted to add team building back in, some leadership development for the players and ways to get the players to lead the team-building.