In case you missed the drama, Dame Noeline Taurua - Head Coach of the Silver Ferns since 2018 - was suspended in September and reinstated just last weekend.  

If you're asking, 'Why? What happened?' Good question. Half the country is asking the same thing. 

It started in January of this year, after a training camp in Sydney. Two players approached the New Zealand Netball Players Association (NZNPA) on behalf of a small group, alleging they felt the environment was “psychologically unsafe”. They reportedly felt fearful of raising issues with Taurua. 

The complaints went to Netball New Zealand (NNZ) boss Jenny Wyllie and High Performance Director Stephen Hotter. 

And then… nothing. Months passed, and players grew so frustrated, they demanded an independent review. 

How do you leave complaints like this for so long, with no action? What are you possibly spending your time doing? Either it’s a serious matter that’s dealt with urgently, or it’s a smaller-scale situation that needs mediation. 

I would’ve thought that if NNZ were concerned about their players' well-being, they'd act immediately. 

NNZ got former New Zealand Cricket High Performance boss Bryan Stronach to lead a review, six months after complaints were raised. He supposedly highlighted “significant issues” within the environment. 

But here’s the kicker: No one knows what the issues actually are. Not the bystanding players, not Taurua, not the public. 

11 days before the Taini Jamison Trophy Series, an around-the-table meeting was held between NNZ officials, High Performance Sport NZ reps, members of the NZNPA, Taurua, and her management team. 

They talked for nearly a full day and could not come to a resolution. Based on the belief they needed to protect the players, NNZ decided to stand down Taurua and her assistant coach, Deb Fuller. Interim Head Coach Yvette McCausland-Durie took the reins for the Taini Jamison Series. 

Cue: chaos. 

Former coaches and players came out swinging in support of Taurua. Star shooter Grace Nweke grabbed the mic at a post-game presentation and stood with Taurua publicly. 

“Noels, if you're listening, we love you and we miss you, and we want you back here.”

Former captain and one of the greats, Laura Langman, shared a lengthy post to social media, calling it “the saddest decision in New Zealand’s proud netball history”. 

She said if players had issues, “it’s gutless and selfish not to come forward and state what the issues are… that doesn’t reflect leadership at all.”

Silver Ferns selector Gail Parata resigned from her role to stand in solidarity with Taurua, saying it left “many of us across the coaching community stunned and questioning how it has come to this”. 

If some of the best players and legends of the game are bravely coming forward to say these kinds of things, surely there’s an inkling you haven’t done the right thing. 

Taurua remained sidelined for the Constellation Cup, despite further negotiations, where the Silver Ferns lost a heartbreaker to Australia. 

After two long months of confusion and drama, Taurua was reinstated as the Head Coach, but on the terms that the interim coaches would carry out the rest of this year and the international window. 

She has finally broken her silence after the last two months, and has described her journey as “very horrific" in an interview with Stuff. 

Doing the media rounds, she also spoke to 1News, which asked if she thought it was fair. Her response: “That’s an interesting word.” 

That’s the answer you give when you have been through hell and back but are still too classy to torch the people who sent you there. 

NNZ Boss Jennie Wyllie apologised for the “hurt across the system” and “across netball”, saying “we’ve all felt it”. 

Even now, after all of this, Taurua does not know the details of the complaints put forward by the players. She doesn’t know what exactly warranted her suspension. 

She is in the dark on what put her through public scrutiny and humiliation. 

When NNZ shared their Facebook post about Noeline getting reinstated, the 1k comments were full of heated opinions. Many were begging for compensation for Noeline, celebrating that she was back, and calling for the "CEO and Chairman to walk". 

One commenter summed it up well: “If you can’t engage in commentary that reflects the full context, then be brave enough to face the music and give context to the situation… 6weeks with no one talking is too long, that’s why you have speculation in the first place!”

I struggle to see how NNZ are going to cover all of these holes over the next few months. 

To be honest, I think they look pretty incompetent right now. Their silence, secrecy, PR spin - it’s been a mess for us, as fans, let alone everyone actually involved. 

One of the greatest coaches the sport has ever seen has been completely left in the dark, disrespected, and mistreated by our national body. 

Do better, NNZ.