‘Watch this space’: Taurua hints at early Nweke Silver Ferns return

Grace Nweke will be unavailable for the Silver Ferns while based in Australia. Photo / Photosport
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua has hinted at an early return for star shooter Grace Nweke.
The towering shooter is unavailable to play for New Zealand next year after signing with the New South Wales Swifts in Australia’s Super Netball competition for the 2025 season.
However, Taurua told the Herald to “watch this space,” hinting at a possible change to the current Netball New Zealand regulations that state only ANZ Premiership athletes can play for the country.
“There’s still a bit of discussion that will be had and ideas as to what needs to be done for [Nweke] but also the Silver Ferns as well so watch this space is all I can say,” she said.
“We’ve definitely got some plans ahead of ourselves.”
Netball New Zealand’s rules are different to England and Jamaica, whereby players are free to move elsewhere and remain eligible for their national team.
However, Taurua told the Herald she’s open-minded to any change, be it to competition format, the international calendar or player eligibility rules.
That includes seeing the draft proposal by World Netball for more tests, come to fruition. The governing body is reportedly exploring hosting the World Cup every two years instead of every four as part of a radical plan to increase opportunities at the elite level.
On December 4, The Daily Telegraph reported the game’s powerbrokers of Netball New Zealand, Netball Australia and Netball England had partnered with World Netball to introduce a new competition, the Continental Cup.
“I’m all up for that,” asserted Taurua. “Anything that we need to look at either to innovate or influence, increase commercial revenue can only be good for our game.
“I know that’s still at the infancy of what that needs to look like, but I feel we’ve got to do something different and we’ve got to be able to be competitive as a sport against other sporting nations and other sports as well knowing that female sport is, is as a talk of the town at the moment.”
As Taurua awaits decisions about international tests and Nweke’s availability for selection she professed 20-year-old Amelia Walmsely is the likely candidate to fill the goal shoot void.
“Amelia has got a massive season next year. She’ll be involved with the World Youth Netball Cup. She’s going to be such a strong piece for them.
“But once she finishes that I’m really looking forward to her coming back into the mix and the continuation of developing her into the gold-attack, goal-shoot slide.
“That’s in preparation for no Grace, but it’s also preparation as well to provide her with another opportunity or another position when Grace does come back.”
The Central Pulse shooter debuted for New Zealand as a teenager in September 2023 and has so far earned six caps.
“In the meantime, we will look at what possible change-up in our court systems and rotation of circle, so playing a different style,” Taurua continued.
“[We’ll also look at] the opportunity to build that depth underneath with the Saviours (Tui), with the Martinas (Salmon), with the Tianas (Metuarau) and providing opportunities for those players to be involved with the Silver Ferns as much as possible.”
As there’s no Nations Netball Series scheduled for January, Taurua revealed the Silver Ferns will head across the ditch for a summer camp.
“It’s going to be possibly a seven-day camp of, I’m not going to say ‘excitement’ because the players won’t call it that but it’s an opportunity for us to start to building our 2025 programme.
“Building some of those opportunities for those players underneath and get more international exposure.”
During this, Taurua’s side will be in familiar company as her side will train alongside Nweke’s franchise the Swifts and even play them in a friendly match.
The Swifts also are coached by former Silver Ferns assistant Briony Arkle.
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.