Southern Steel coach Wendy Frew is hurting for her players caught up in the Silver Ferns coaching saga.
Wendy Frew says there will never be a bigger drama in New Zealand Netball, and it hurts her that some Southern Steel players have been caught up in the Silver Ferns coaching saga.
Netball New Zealand stood coach Dame Noeline Taurua down for the recent South African series, and there is yet to be any confirmation if she will return to the job.
It has prompted plenty of speculation around a player revolt leading to the removal of Taurua ahead of the South African series.
Silver Ferns star Grace Nweke added further intrigue to the situation when she spoke after the win over South Africa in Invercargill on Sunday.
“Going forward, Noels, if you’re listening, we love you and we miss you and we want you back here. 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,” Nweke said at ILT Stadium Southland.
It’s since been suggested there is a split in opinions among leading New Zealand netballers around Taurua’s coaching.
Silver Ferns defender Karin Burger has also spoken out in support of Taurua, but there has been no public word from any disgruntled players.
Frew, a former Silver Fern and current Southern Steel coach, said she did not like how other players who have not spoken out had been getting blamed for the Taurua situation.
“That really hurts me,” Frew told Sport Nation.
“I’ve seen some of the Steel girls’ names, and I know it’s not them… I think it’s probably the way it’s been dealt with.
“It’s really hard, because it kind of puts the whole 14, or however many in this Silver Ferns squad, and it’s not some of these girls.
“Some of these girls genuinely do love Noels and want her around. That has hurt my heart a little bit, that players who haven’t been involved in this are getting brought down, and people are speculating, which I can see what happens with this sort of drama going on.”
“I don’t think there will ever be a bigger drama in New Zealand Netball either.
“But it is just hard for those players who have been loyal and haven’t been involved in it, but people bring people’s names into it, that’s probably the thing that’s hurting me a little bit.”
The Steel had four players in the Silver Ferns squad for the South African series. They were Kate and Georgia Heffernan, Kimiora Poi, and Carys Stythe.
Steel assistant coach Liana Leota also stepped in as an assistant for the series.
Frew praised the professionalism of the New Zealand players to get on with the job and beat South Africa 3-0 in the series.
The Steel coach acknowledged the Silver Ferns were not at their best against South Africa, but considering the situation, Frew said they deserved credit.
“I think that is important for the public to realise… This has been, I can imagine, so hard on the players.
“These players would have never experienced anything half as big as what they are dealing with at the moment,” Frew told Sport Nation.
“You’ve got to give credit to them for getting on with it; they look like a pretty tight-knit bunch.”
With the series against Australia set to start on October 17, Frew said the matter needed to be sorted promptly.
“You’d like to know that it is going to be resolved by the end of the week because the coaches are going to pick different people aren’t they.
“Noels will have the people that she wants in that team, Yvette [McCausland-Durie] and La [Liana Leotta] obviously have their views on it.
“So, I think it’s important that it’s all sorted for the players.”