The cream of New Zealand’s young netball talent is on show in Christchurch this week – and helping to guide them are some of the biggest names of the past. Mike Thorpe caught up with a 61-test veteran who is enjoying her time as
South Island sports wrap: Former Ferns fostering future Ferns, netball’s elite and their superstar coaches
Former Silver Fern Jodi Brown taking notes as her Columba College side takes on St Kentigern College in Christchurch. Photo / Netball New Zealand
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“They’re going to be our next Silver Ferns, so any wisdom that we can pass on to them would be great,” says Brown.
Around a third of the teams taking part have the benefit of a coach with experience in the black dress.
“I think, you know, we only want the best for New Zealand and to develop all these players,” says Brown, adding that despite a common goal, there’s no shortage of rivalry between former teammates.
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“Obviously we want our own teams to win and we have been texting each other saying, ‘hey, can you tell us about this team or this team?’” says Brown.
The wisdom that she’s passing on to her side is undoubtedly paying off – they finished second in the recent South Island tournament, going down to St Margaret’s of Christchurch in the final.
“We had a really unexpected South Island [tournament], actually. We lost the bulk of our team last year and so coming in really new as a group, our goal was to kind of make that top four,” says Brown.
Like a number of the other ex-Ferns that are coaching teams this week, Brown has a daughter in the team – in fact, she has two.
“I’ve just pulled my youngest one in to cover for this week as well. She hasn’t been in the team but she now has come in for injury cover, which is good.”
Brown says it’s a balancing act between being coach and mum.
“That’s really a fine line that I’ve been learning. I know with my daughters which one I can push a little bit further and which one I just need to back off,” she says.
“And there’s been some horrible moments. I can tell you that there’s been some tears and there’s been some yelling.
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“But I think we’ve kind of found that balance now and I think they understand, like when it’s time out or when it’s quarter breaks that I’m pretty direct with my feedback. I know that we’ve got such a short time to make a difference – they know that it just comes out how it comes out, and a little bit of love might be on it next time.”
The former Fern has been hands-on with her daughter’s netball through the grades.
“They’re used to it, they’ve had me coaching them since they were, you know, babies – Year 3.”
Brown says the two top Auckland schools – Howick College and Avondale College – are probably the teams to beat.
“I think the Aucklanders are just stronger all around and they have a little bit more, I guess netball nous, I would think. I think they have that flair and their ability just to play a little bit more into the space. I think down in the South Island we tend to, we’re a little bit more man-on, we’re a little bit ‘grind-out’. I think we’re getting there, but we just don’t have enough competition like they do up in the North Island,” says Brown.
The early results suggest Brown is on the money with that assessment. Howick blitzed St Andrew’s College in their opening group match 52-25, while Avondale (coached by Rachel Rasmussen) came back late against St Hilda’s (coached by Belinda Colling) to win 41-34 in a match that the southerners led for an extended period. Brown’s Columba team dropped their opening match to Epsom Girls Grammar, 34-24.
We, us, our...
‘We, us, our...” was the theme that took Christ’s College to the top of high school basketball in New Zealand – and it was a theme that showed up in the individual statistics.
Christ’s College reclaimed the National Boys’ AA Secondary Schools title in Palmerston North on Saturday. Christ’s were pushed all the way by a determined Napier Boys’ High School side in the decider – which turned into an all-time classic.
“That was one of the best finals I’ve seen and been a part of,” says Christ’s coach Quinn Clinton. “I can’t remember how many lead changes there were, but it would have been in the twenties. They were a tough team and we couldn’t shake them. They just kept... making play after play,” Clinton told the Herald.
So too, did Clinton’s crew – making two decisive plays. Firstly, a corner three with just 21 seconds left on the clock and College down by one. Clinton had just called a timeout.
“We were just about to leave for the stadium and I was like, oh, I better draw up some end-of-game plays just because you never know when you need them. That was one we had worked on a little bit throughout the year, we hadn’t needed to use it yet,” says Clinton.
Tama Isaac in-bounded the ball to Ihaka Cate – who handed it back to Isaac and sent him driving to the hoop. Drawing in three defenders, Isaac passed to an open Boston Paerata in the right-hand corner. It never looked like missing.
“Yeah, Boston. He’s a special shooter,” beamed a proud coach.
“He doesn’t care about the moment. He’s going to shoot it regardless of what the situation is.”
Napier Boys’ then levelled the scores again with an unstoppable drive to the rim by their main man, Jackson Ball. But with five seconds left on the game clock, Christ’s would have the final say. Following another timeout by Clinton and a calmly communicated play, it was Isaac who was trusted with the title-deciding attempt. The Year 13 student drove into the lane and hooked a right-handed shot over the Napier defenders – drawing the foul and stopping the clock with two seconds remaining.
“This morning, I was talking to my brother and I said, ‘You know how many kids would have looked to pass in that situation?’ But he’s spent countless hours in the gym over the last two years just really working on his game and he’s comfortable, we fully trusted him to shoot that shot,” says Clinton.
Isaac shot the follow-up free-throw as well. Napier Boys’ had one play to tie it up but the three-point attempt was short, ricocheting off the hoop – then the buzzer signalled the start of celebrations for the boys in white and black.
The champions weren’t pushed until the semifinals, where they eventually put 2023 winners Wellington College away, 93-83.
Christ’s spread of talent was reflected in their individual stats. Tama Isaac was their top scorer in the tournament with 151 points at an average just below 19 points per game. That barely had him within the top 20 across all-scorers. But, unlike many other teams, Christ’s had a team of scorers with Ihaka Cate (145 points), Paerata (139), Hoani Ifopo-Togia (103) and Tawhiri Cate (69) all prepared to shoot.
“I think that’s honestly what makes the team so special. No one really cared who got the credit, especially offensively. That was what we set out to be at the start of the year was the best offensive team in New Zealand,” says Clinton.
They’ll be without Isaac in 2025 – but the core of the team will return next year, with a national title already to their names.
“I think having that experience, there’s nothing like winning a final and knowing that you can do it – that just brings confidence to the group,” says Clinton.
Waimea College’s Hayden Jones finished his final Secondary Schools tournament with a haul of 249 points – as his side finished 6th. The South Island champions were beaten by Christ’s at the quarter-final stage (108-66), reversing the SISS result.
In the girls’ AA Championship final, St Andrew’s College were comfortably beaten by Westlake Girls’ High School 97-69.
Bulls eye return
The Canterbury Bulls have done all they can to return to top-flight rugby league – the next battle will be out of their hands.
The Bulls, winner of the South Island Championship, hosted North Island Championship winners the Wellington Orcas in the National Championship final at Ngā Puna Wai on Sunday. The home side put together a strong second-half performance to run out 36-22 winners, in a match where the Centenary Shield and Adrian Shelford Memorial Cup were on the line.
But the biggest prize in this match is promotion to the National Premiership – the top grade in provincial rugby league. That right will be Canterbury’s in 2025, but there is no guarantee that the competition (as it is now) will go ahead next year.
New Zealand Rugby League told the Herald that a working group is currently considering the competition structure for future years. A range of options is being considered before a final decision is made later this year, possibly in December.
One option that is understood to be under consideration would see a North/South split with Wellington being part of the South. The winners of each zone would then meet in a grand final.
That option could be a blessing for emerging provinces like Aoraki and Southland, exposing them to tough competition week in and week out.
The South Island Scorpions (now excluding Canterbury players) showed in last week’s national youth competition in Rotorua that there is a depth of talent throughout the South Island provinces in both Under-16 and U18 levels. The opportunity to compete at a higher level could help to keep that talent in their provinces.
Southern derbies
Otago Metro are the 2024 South Island Under-16 rugby champions after pipping Southland in the final at Rhodes Park, Tai Tapu at the weekend.
Otago trailed with 10 minutes to go but a late converted try put them ahead before a yellow card saw them reduced to 14 players for the final five minutes. A successful penalty kick on fulltime sealed the title, 28-22.
South Canterbury won the battle for third with a 25-12 win over Canterbury Metro Black.
In the girls U18 final, Otago and Canterbury Black couldn’t be separated at Ngā Puna Wai, battling to a 27-27 draw. The lead changed several times before a late penalty squared it up and the title was shared.
