Netball: Trio's exit exposes worries about coaching depth in NZ

Yvette McCausland-Durie. Photo / APN

The loss of three elite coaches at once will provide a test of the depth of New Zealand's netball coaching ranks.

Three of the five Kiwi franchises are on the hunt for a new head coach next season with Yvette McCausland-Durie (Pulse), Helen Mahon-Stroud (Tactix) and Robyn Broughton (Steel) stepping down from their roles.

The exodus has raised questions over where the next crop of top-level coaches will come from.

With a lack of top-quality candidates, there is concern the competitiveness of the Kiwi teams in the transtasman league will suffer.

Former Silver Ferns' coach Yvonne Willering said it was a huge ask for regional coaches to make the step up to a professional environment where there was no room for error in their planning and preparation.

"With a franchise it's not just about coaching, it's everything else off the court as well, so it's a totally different ball game."

Netball New Zealand (NNZ) high-performance manager Tracey Fear said although she was pleased with the quality of coaches coming through the development pathways, she admitted resources would be stretched thin. "I think it's unfortunate to lose three in one year," she said.

"I think we have strong depth there, but I don't think you can throw coaches into this level without a bit of pain. It is a huge ask to go into this level if you haven't at least been involved with National Bank Cup previously or had a national coaching role."

Fear said that when the ANZ Championship began, NNZ made it a policy that each franchise had to have an assistant to support the head coach in an effort to improve coaching depth. "You would like to think some of those assistant coaches will start to put their hand up for head coaching roles."

Although coaching stocks are looking a little bare, Fear said NNZ would likely block any move to sign an overseas applicant.

"There is no point in us providing development and pathways for coaches only to block it at the top end by having it open to overseas coaches to come in," said Fear.

Not only does the loss of these coaches raise questions about who will replace them at franchise level, but also about who will fill future vacancies at national level.

McCausland-Durie's decision to step down from top-level coaching was a big blow for NNZ, who had been grooming the former New Zealand under-21 coach for a future role in the national high-performance programme.

McCausland-Durie had received a $50,000 coaching accelerant scholarship from Sparc.

Fear said the national body was disappointed to lose McCausland-Durie, but believed the investment in her professional development had not been wasted.

"We are disappointed, we think Yvette has done a great job this year and is really showing the learning that she has taken on board through her professional development opportunities. It's not to be for next year, but hopefully in the next couple of years we'll see her back coaching at an elite level."

Gail Parata, who is assistant coach at the Pulse, is being tipped to step into the top job next season. Likewise Mahon-Stroud's assistant for the past two seasons, Julie Seymour, is seen as the likely successor at the Tactix, with Canterbury NPC coach Tania Hoffman and Marg Foster also possible contenders.

The Steel position looks a little more open, with New Zealand under-21 coach Janine Southby and former Australian international Natalie Avellino the two frontrunners.