McCausland-Durie back for Pulse in 2022

The wide-ranging expertise of Yvette McCausland-Durie will once again be close at hand when she returns to Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse as head coach for the 2022 ANZ Premiership season.

A proven performer, the popular McCausland-Durie stepped down following a four-year-stint last season after guiding the Pulse to four successive Finals Series.

This year’s Central Manawa National Netball League (NNL) head coach Anna Andrews-Tasola, who was also the Pulse specialist shooting coach, will take on the assistant coach role with the top team in 2022.

Andrews-Tasola has continued to build on her coaching resume to forge an impressive record at club, age-group, national and international level, enjoying a particularly successful return in 2019 which included winning the NNL title, winning the gold medal at the Pacific Games as head coach of the Cook Islands team, guiding the Wellington Centre team to the U19 national championship title while also being head coach of the PIC Premier 1 team in Wellington club netball.

She also spent three years as the Manawa assistant coach before stepping up to the head coach role last season.

Netball Central Director of High Performance Wai Taumaunu will continue in her role as specilaist defence coach with the Pulse.

McCausland-Durie takes over from Gail Parata, who who leaves the job by mutual consent after being at the helm for the 2021 season.

This year’s Pulse assistant coach Pelesa Semu has decided to take some time away from the top level to refresh, spend time with her family and take up some part-time study.

After two years as head coach of the Manawa team and the last two years as Pulse assistant coach, Semu is hopeful time out will help her take stock, regroup and possibly return to the top flight.

Semu will stay involved with coaching through her role as NZ Secondary Schools assistant coach while she also runs the highly successful netball programme at St Mary’s College in Wellington.