Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua ditches controversial fitness standard after 7 years

Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua has ditched a long-standing policy requiring players to meet a mandatory fitness standard to be eligible for national selection.The change means players no longer have to reach a minimum score on the Yo-Yo test to be picked for the Silver Ferns - a benchmark that had previously ruled out several in-form players, including Peta Toeava and Aliyah Dunn.But Silver Ferns management stress the move is not about placing less importance on fitness and conditioning. Amanda Murphy, the team's director of athlete performance told RNZ the team has adopted a more tailored approach that assesses players against the physical demands of their positions, as part of a wider shake-up of the Ferns' high performance programme."What I wanted to look at was - how do we bring out the strengths of each player, what's the X- factor, what's their role in the team, and then what sort of game is Noeline trying to play?"Murphy said the Yo-Yo test, which measures an athlete's intermittent aerobic endurance, was not the answer."So it was more about what does fit-for-purpose look like? Can an athlete do that job for that specific role?"The change marks a shift from a policy that became a defining feature of Taurua's approach to the Silver Ferns.After taking over the coaching reins in 2018 in the wake of the Silver Ferns disappointing Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, where they failed to medal for the first time, Taurua introduced a minimum 16.3 Yo-Yo test score for any player to be eligible for selection.It followed a brutal review of the Ferns Commonwealth Games campaign, in which the review panel found the sport "continues to struggle to embrace a true high performance culture - the no compromises, no shortcuts philosophy so much a part of many elite sports is not yet ingrained deeply enough within netball in New Zealand".By then Taurua had spent two seasons coaching in the Australian league and knew how critical it was to lift the players' fitness levels if they wanted to compete with the Diamonds.Silver Ferns Strength and Conditioning Coach, Amanda Murphy (L) with the Silver Ferns warming up at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.www.photosport.nzWhen New Zealand completed a stunning turnaround to win the 2019 Netball World Cup after pipping Australia in the final - a lot of that was attributed to the improved physical capabilities of the Ferns.While the benchmark was seen as a driver of excellence, its one-size-fits-all approach became increasingly contentious over the years, with some questioning whether a single fitness threshold was appropriate for players with vastly different demands on court.Ahead of her first season in the Australian league in 2024 former Silver Fern Sam Winders told the ABC that "running fitness" could only take you so far on a netball court."I like it over here [in Australia] in that there's no expectations on a certain number and you can tell who has the engine to run anyway, so I really empathise with other players that have missed out because of that," Winders said.In 2024, Taurua told RNZ that the players overwhelmingly supported the policy when asked if they thought it should be retained. But one of the concerns raised by players in a review into the Silver Ferns environment last year was that the fitness standards were not being consistently applied.Former Silver Fern midcourter Sam Winders.PHOTOSPORTEarlier this year, Murphy, a former Black Fern, proposed a new direction."One thing I love about Noels is that she's willing to challenge the norm and that's something that I strive to do in every role that I take as well so when we presented that, she could make sense of it."Murphy said Taurua jumped on board when provided with solid evidence around why a new direction would support her goals. Placing less emphasis on the Yo-Yo is just one small part of the new strategy."That's probably 10 percent of it. It's an integrated high-performance model that works across everything we do throughout, right up to waking up in the morning on game day."Murphy joined the Silver Ferns as their strength and conditioning lead soon after leading the Black Ferns Sevens' physical performance programme through to Olympic gold in Paris 2024. Prior to that, she was the Black Ferns' strength and conditioning coach for their winning 2022 World Cup campaign."I took the role on and initially sort of wanted to come in and have a look at how things were done and where we could really grow the space, given the talent that we have in the team, I think is second to none in the world."Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua.Simon Stacpoole / PhotosportIn March, Murphy moved into her newly created role and designed the Silver Ferns' performance strategy for their Commonwealth Games triumph in Glasgow.Former NBA backroom staffer Chelsea Lane, who was appointed as head of performance to support the Silver Ferns Commonwealth Games campaign, also backed her plan.Taurua said they were thrilled with the impact the changes had made."You can see the results coming through in our performances. There's strength right across the squad and we're building real depth," Taurua said."Murph brings an uncompromising pursuit of excellence, balanced with genuine care for people. Her ability to connect with players and lift everyone around her makes her an invaluable part of the Silver Ferns environment."The Yo-Yo has not been completely banished, but it's no longer a requirement for getting picked."It's a measure of a running ability, it's a straight line 20 metres and back, relevant for some positions and really not relevant to others," Murphy said.Silver Fern Grace Nweke in Test one of the Constellation Cup in Auckland.Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nzShe instead designs fitness programmes to suit the seven unique positions on court."We don't see the need for a goal shoot and goal keep to be running 20 metres for the sake of passing a test but a goal shooter can be required to jump as much as 85 times in a game, so the ability to do that's really important."A mid-courter, we might be looking at something different but we're not going to hang our hats on it, it's more of a where are we at in regard to our aerobic or anaerobic fitness."Murphy said they use a variety of tools to help get an overall picture of where players are at and 'test' is not a word she likes to use."It's more of a measure of where the athlete is and where we can really excel their physical performance to make sure that it fits the game plan and recognises where they're really strong and what their X factor is."We've got multiple pieces of evidence that we can capture over a binary benchmark, and I like to use the word bandwidth. We've got a battery of six to eight different types of tests that we might have a look at to see where athletes are at."Peta Toeava missed out on Silver Ferns selection in the past for failing to pass the Yo-Yo benchmark.Aaron Gillions / www.photosport.nzMurphy said the genetic make-up of players is also relevant."No two players are ever going to be the same physically … some players are more fast twitch, explosive, dynamic players. And then we've got players that can run for days and may not have quite the explosiveness of another player."So, we're just trying to leverage what's unique about that individual, bring that to the forefront. And rather than thinking there's a weakness there, what's getting in the way of them using that superpower?"After losing to the Silver Ferns in the opening game of the Constellation Cup in Auckland, Australian Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich remarked on how clinical New Zealand are now.The Silver Ferns' turnover rate during the series was very economical and it's a trend that started at the Commonwealth Games."Clinical - that's an accurate word to use because that's exactly where they are, you know, error rates coming down and we're sustaining the ball for long periods of time in possession," Murphy said."I'm really proud of the team for being able to produce that and the way that Noels has really driven that as well … and we're only at 80 percent [capacity] at the moment."Murphy said the players had responded well to the new approach, which wasn't exactly a hard sell."If you tell anyone 'we're going to make you the best of the world' if that's what you want to do, then most people if they're driven are going to go 'let's jump into that'."The Silver Ferns were denied a Constellation Cup clean-sweep after the Diamonds secured a 68-58 win in the final match of the series on Wednesday.But 2026 will go down as one of the Silver Ferns' most successful ever after a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and a series win over the Diamonds, which will see them sit equal with Australia at the top of the world rankings.