Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua has backed Netball New Zealand's decision to take no action against Maria Folau for her support of her husband, Israel, saying she has done nothing wrong.
Taurua is keeping her focus on Maria Folau's performances on the court, leaving anything off the court for those higher up at Netball New Zealand.
And as far as those higher up – led by chief executive Jennie Wyllie – are concerned, the matter is over, with the organisation saying it would make no further comment in a statement on Tuesday, though that is unlikely to be the end of it.
"I have no concerns with her place in the team from a performance perspective. There's no reason why [she shouldn't be there] from a performance perspective," Taurua said.
"If there's anything else, it would have to come from Netball New Zealand, but there's no reason why [there would be anything], she hasn't done anything [wrong]."
Maria had remained silent in public for more than 10 weeks, while her husband, Israel, had his contract with Rugby Australia terminated, following a code of conduct hearing prompted by him sharing an image on social media that said "hell awaits" homosexuals.
MATT KING/GETTY IMAGES
Maria Folau's support of her husband, Israel, following his sacking by Rugby Australia has attracted criticism.
In response, Israel has taken legal action with the Fair Work Commission, asserting that he has been sacked because of his religious beliefs, which would amount to an unfair dismissal.
Last Friday, he set up a GoFundMe page, seeking financial aid for his legal battle – without guaranteeing that that's what donations would be used for. That page has since been taken down.
That was when Maria shared a social media post by Israel where he explained why he was seeking help and wrote: "Maria and I have used over $100K of our savings".
Her decision to get involved with her husband's battle in public came five days before the Silver Ferns' first game since January [this Wednesday in Auckland] and three weeks before the start of the Netball World Cup in England, which is widely expected to be her swansong in the black dress.
Maria's Australian franchise, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, backed her on Sunday – a decision which drew the ire of former Australian captain Liz Ellis – but it wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that Netball NZ issued a statement saying she had not breached any of its policies.
Taurua then backed that up in an interview with Stuff, at a time when it was clear she would rather be focusing on this week's games against a local All Stars side, a New Zealand men's team, and the Fiji Pearls, and the broader World Cup campaign.
As well as reaffirming that Maria "hasn't done anything wrong," Taurua acknowledged that it was "a fluid situation," and a "big, complex" one.
WILLIAM BOOTH/PHOTOSPORT
Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua says Maria Folau hasn't done anything wrong in supporting her husband, Israel.
"It's a situation that's in front of the courts, for her husband, and as a wife or a husband you always want to be able to support your partner.
"It's such a big, complex situation and a complex issue, that it's too big for us to be able to put our perspective on at the moment, and we need to prioritise why we are here, which is to play netball, and there's no reason at the moment, why she should be excluded from or not included in the team, because she hasn't done anything wrong.
"I'm very supportive of that, I can understand where Maria would be and what she would be feeling as well.
"We've just got to keep distractions as minimal as possible, and talk about it and get on with the job of playing netball, which is what I'm here to do in the first place."
The Cadbury Netball Series – as it has been christened – will take place at Pulman Arena in South Auckland from Wednesday to Saturday, with the Silver Ferns leaving for England next week, ahead of the World Cup, which begins on July 12.
