Karin Burger is captaining the Silver Ferns in the Constellation Cup against Australia. Photo / Andrew Cornaga / Photosport
By Bridget Tunnicliffe of RNZ
The Silver Ferns are trying to dispel the notion that teammates have to be the “best of buddies”, while they navigate the aftermath of coach Dame Noeline Taurua’s shock suspension.
Over the weekend, Netball NZ announced Taurua was stood down for the rest of 2025, less than two weeks before a series against world champions Australia.
The national body said a resolution over the Silver Ferns’ “high performance programme and environment” had not yet been reached, despite weeks of negotiations.
Taurua was controversially stood down 11 days out from the Taini Jamison series against South Africa last month, and her future as coach of the national side looks bleak.
Karin Burger, 32, has been named interim Silver Ferns captain and has a huge challenge to keep her side focused on the next two series.
The experienced defender has the ultimate tightrope to walk, as she leads a side that includes players who are fiercely loyal to Taurua and those who may be less so.
After a training camp in January, two players approached the NZ Netball Players Association on behalf of a larger group of up to seven players, raising concerns about Taurua’s leadership and communication style.
An independent review later highlighted “significant issues” within the Silver Ferns environment.
Shooter Grace Nweke made it clear where she stood on the future of the embattled coach, after the Ferns’ final test win over South Africa last month, when she was match captain.
“Noels [Noeline Taurua], if you’re listening, we love you and we miss you, and we want you back here,” she said during the post-match presentation. “You’ve done so much for this group and the work you’ve done this whole year, you deserve to be here and we want you back, Noels.”
Burger captains a side that include veteran players like herself, who have known Taurua for years, and rookie players, who have very little history with the coach.
“There’s a lot of players that have obviously taken the decision quite hard and there’s others who have got a little bit less skin in the game, so they’re not necessarily as invested in it,” she said. “[We’re] acknowledging that and knowing people are going to feel differently about this, and supporting them, so that everyone can actually perform next week.”
Despite the differences of opinion within the team, Burger said they were not divided.
“We’ve come to a conclusion this week that everybody is going to have different opinions. I think, everywhere in life, people have different opinions.
“It’s so easy for people to say, whenever you’re in a team, you should all think the same, but that’s actually not the case.
“People are going to have different opinions, depending on the experiences they’ve had, and just because I have one opinion doesn’t mean I can put down someone else’s opinion.
“How can we collectively work together to find a solution to compensate a little bit both ways to make sure we can move forward with this and work together?
“I think we’ve got to a really good point this week that we’ve left what was said and done in the past. We’ve no control over what’s happening at the moment ... but right now we need to worry about our performance.”
Stand-in Silver Ferns coach Yvette McCausland-Durie said the environment was no different to the relationships that form in any worksite.
“We’re a workplace, we just happen to be open to everybody to see the workplace,” she said. “There are few workplaces that don’t have challenges, and you don’t always have to get on with everybody, but there’s a real unity within this group about purpose.”
McCausland-Durie insisted she had not seen any fractures in the side.
“I don’t see it,” she said. “I mean, I understand, and I see people who might not be the best of buddies, but you don’t need to be; you just need to be respectful.
“Difference is fine, but we must be aligned in terms of where we’re heading and I’m loving the fact that they’re open to that.
“Do they always agree? No, no place does, and I’m okay with that too.”
Burger, who has stated that she’d enjoyed a good relationship with Taurua over the years, felt for her old coach.
“It’s a difficult and tough position she’s in at the moment,” she said. “I think, for us to carry on her legacy and perform really well and show that everything she’s put in up until this point is that connection that we have with her ... you never lose a relationship with people you’ve built.”
The Silver Ferns’ immediate focus is to defend the Constellation Cup, which they won for just the third time when they beat Australia 3-1 last year.
Burger believed the Silver Ferns had the mental edge over the world champions 12 months ago and hoped they could tap into that again.
The South African-born defender, who moved to New Zealand when she was 18, never believed in her wildest dreams that she would one day captain the Silver Ferns.
“Lots of privilege to be able to stand here, knowing that people are putting their trust in you to lead that area, and not trying to let that faze me too much, because I just need to keep being myself, but acknowledging the workload that’s involved with [captaincy] as well.”
Defender Kelly Jackson was named interim vice-captain.
The Constellation Cup starts on October 17. In November, the Silver Ferns will head to Britain for tests against Scotland and England.
– RNZ