The past decade for New Zealand netball has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. From ups and downs on the international stage to controversial calls made behind the scenes, the best moments will be remembered for decades to come and the worst, hopefully soon forgotten. As the decade nears
Cheree Kinnear: Ranking the best and worst of New Zealand netball this decade
Noeline Taurua and her World Cup-winning Silver Ferns. Photos / Getty Images, Photosport
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During that time she not only became one of the world's best goal shoots, but she set plenty of records including becoming the world's most capped netballer, with 217 tests to her name.
Van Dyk competed in five Netball World Cups, four Commonwealth Games and won the ANZ Championship title with the Magic in 2012.
Her retirement marked the end of an era but it also allowed a moment to look back on how lucky New Zealand had been to call her our own.
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3. The vindication of Noeline Taurua
Once discarded by Netball New Zealand, the return of Noeline Taurua to the Netball New Zealand fold will go down as one of the greatest stories in the sport's history.
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Taurua's past success with the Magic and the Sunshine Coast Lightning meant fans had high hopes for the coach when she was appointed as Janine Southby's successor.
However, few people believed she would be able to fix the Silver Ferns in time for the 2019 World Cup.
Safe to say, she proved both the nation and the world wrong.
Introducing a new fitness standard, team culture and training environment, Taurua turned the Ferns around and set up a solid foundation for the future.
2. Magic in 2012
For the first four years following its inception, the ANZ Championship trophy lived in Australia. New Zealand's domestic teams struggled to keep up with the pace of their rival trans-Tasman clubs and it looked unlikely a Kiwi team would ever lift the trophy.
That was until the 2012 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic team – unsurprisingly under the guidance of Noeline Taurua – hit the scene.
The side had finished third in the season standings but managed to book themselves a spot in the final against former champions the Melbourne Vixens.
Taking out the title with a 41-38 victory, the Magic became the first – and only - New Zealand team to etch their name on the ANZ Championship trophy.
1. On top of the World
The Silver Ferns' 2019 Netball World Cup triumph will certainly go down as one of the greatest moments in Netball New Zealand history.
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Lifting the trophy wasn't something new for the Silver Ferns, but the way in which they won the 2019 event is what makes it significant.
Fifteen months prior, the Silver Ferns had fallen to their worst-ever Commonwealth Games placing. They then appointed new coach Noeline Taurua, who hardly promised the team immediate success, just nine months out.
With just six months to go the Ferns lost Quad Series games against England and Australia, suggesting they were still off the pace against the world's best.
Even during the World Cup itself, the Ferns suffered a loss to the Diamonds.
But when it mattered most, the Silver Ferns put on a performance the nation could be proud of. They proved the critics wrong and gave fans a renewed hope of what the next decade of netball could bring.
... and the worst
4. Laura Langman's exile
In 2017, Netball New Zealand momentarily said goodbye to Laura Langman - one of the greatest players of her generation.
And not because the now-Ferns captain had retired or suffered a career-ending injury, no, NNZ snubbed her from representing her country simply because she wanted to play in Australia.
NNZ's policy states that if a player opts to join a domestic league outside of the country, they are barred from Silver Ferns selection.
The decision didn't go down well though among fans and netball greats alike.
It was blasted by former Australian great Liz Ellis as "the worst decision a sporting administration has ever made".
Thankfully, when Noeline Taurua took over the Silver Ferns last year, one of her conditions was to allow Langman back into the squad.
Langman hardly skipped a beat in her return to international netball and her dispensation to rejoin the team has since opened the door for others such as Maria Folau to do the same.
3. 2011 Cup calamity
They had a combined 609 caps, an average age of 28, nine players with World Cup experience and the exceptional Irene van Dyk.
Yet the 2011 Silver Ferns World Cup team failed to achieve their pre-ordained destiny.
The Ferns fell to a 58-57 final defeat to the Australian Diamonds in Singapore, a result that today would be largely accepted by fans, however, the Diamonds of 2011 were far from dominant.
Before the tournament, they lost Sharelle McMahon to injury as well as Firebirds star Lauren Nourse.
In comparison to the Ferns, their squad had a combined 339 caps and seven players who had never contested at a World Cup before.
The Ferns were undoubtedly the favourites but Australia were the finishers.
2. Central Pulse choke
The Central Pulse had just completed a record-breaking season - racking up an impressive 11-game win streak and were hot favourites to take out the 2018 ANZ Premiership title.
Their impressive streak granted them the home-court advantage with a sell-out crowd promising an incredible atmosphere set to carry the Wellington-based side to victory.
But that's not quite how the story went.
After dominating the Southern Steel for most of the game, a brief lapse in concentration saw the Pulse concede several goals, setting them on the back foot with under a minute left on the clock.
The Pulse hustled desperately but it was too late.
They let the title slip out of their hands while a crowd of stunned fans looked on in disbelief.
It was the definition of choking - but on the flip side provided a fairy-tale send off for Steel captain Wendy Frew as the Southland team lifted the trophy as back-to-back champions.
1. Commonwealth disaster
It had already been a dire campaign - but losing to Malawi to finish fourth was undoubtedly the lowest point for the Silver Ferns at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The Silver Ferns looked disjointed on court, there was no clear communication between players and the leadership group, and under coach Janine Southby the team lacked direction.
Players once described as the world's best were being questioned over whether they had pride in the black dress.
It was described as the side's darkest hour and if then-captain Katrina Rore's expression after the game said anything, it was that the match will likely always be remembered by the players as the toughest moment in their careers.
