Latest news with #KiriWills
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball round 12: Hulita Veve ruled out for season with ACL injury
Queensland Firebirds co-captain Hulita Veve will be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL tear - the second player to be ruled out for the remainder of the club's 2025 campaign this week. The Firebirds revealed on Friday the 29-year-old midcourter and Tongan international injured her ACL in training earlier this week. The club said Veve would consult with a specialist in the coming days to determine when she would undergo surgery. Veve's injury comes after Firebirds goal attack Tippah Dwan was this week also ruled out of the rest of the season due to an ongoing knee injury. Firebirds head coach Kiri Wills said the loss of Veve's was a blow to the team's on-court leadership. 'This is a massive blow for Hulita and for all of us at the club,' Wills said. 'Not only is Hulita a leader in our club, she's a hugely popular and important part of our purple family and I know everyone will be doing all we can to support her as she begins her rehabilitation. 'It's a huge loss for us on court - but we have a resilient group and I know Hulita will want us to do all we can to finish the season as strongly as possible.' Veve was named as a co-captain alongside defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran this year. A premiership winner with the Firebirds in 2016, the mother-of-two made a successful return as a full-time contracted Super Netball player last season. The Firebirds sit at the bottom of the Super Netball ladder with three rounds remaining in the regular season.
RNZ News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: Kiri Wills gets coaching contract extension in Australian league
Firebirds head coach Kiri Wills watches on during a warm up. Photo: Mark Kolbe Photography / Getty Images The Queensland Firebirds have extended Kiri Wills' contract through to the end of the 2027 Australian domestic competition, building on the New Zealand coach's original two-year term. Wills, who joined the Firebirds at the end of last year, became just the second New Zealand head coach in the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) competition, when she was appointed on a two-year deal. Current Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was the first Kiwi to coach in the most competitive league in the world. Dame Noeline coached the Sunshine Coast Lightning for three years, leading them to two titles in 2017 and 2018. After seven seasons as head coach of the Stars in the ANZ Premiership, Wills felt she had reached a ceiling in New Zealand. Her first season has been challenging, with the Firebirds sitting at the bottom of the 2025 ladder with four rounds left. The 2.01m tall Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok was a prized signing for the club but has taken a while to adapt in her first season in the league. The club said the decision to extend Wills' contract underscored the club's commitment to fostering stability and sustaining the transformative systems Wills had implemented since her appointment. Wills came in after a tumultuous 2024 season for the Firebirds on and off the court. The Firebirds let go of its coach mid-campaign, amid reports of player unrest. Netball Australia launched an investigation into the Queensland Firebirds after Remi Kamo, who now ironically plays for the Stars, complained that there was a toxic culture at the club. In March this year the national body said an independent investigator concluded that there were no breaches of the Netball Australia code of conduct and member protection policy by Netball Queensland and its management. The club said foundational progress was critical to long-term success. "Kiri has instilled structures and an environment that aligns with our vision for sustained excellence," Netball Queensland chief executive Kate Davies said. "We recognize that meaningful change requires time, and this extension ensures continuity as we accelerate toward our goals. Kiri's approach has redefined our identity. This decision is a vote of trust in her strategy and our collective future." Acknowledging on-court results haven't been what she would have wanted, Wills firmly believes that the team is progressing on her ambitions of returning to the top of the SSN in years ahead. "We're not happy with where we sit on the table, but we've laid a strong foundation," Wills said. "Our staff and players are fully invested in this vision, and we're determined to finish 2025 with pride - particularly in our final three home games." The decision to extend Wills' tenure has been welcomed by Firebirds leaders Hulita Veve and Ruby Bakewell-Doran, who praised Wills' impact on the team's culture. "Kiri has brought so much confidence into this group. She's had our back since the day she arrived," co-captain Veve said. "Kiri's knowledge of the game is outstanding and she knows netball back to front but my favourite thing about her is the way she's brought us together off the court. That connection piece is something she thrives on. Bakewell-Doran said Wills impact on the club in the past six months had been significant. "I can't wait to see what she's able to create with more time under her belt. Her vision, passion and wisdom is next to none and I feel honoured to have her leading us," Bakewell-Doran said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Northern Mystics captain Micheala Sokolich-Beatson on ANZ Premiership's murky future
'Not that I've heard, which is kind of unsettling. But I also understand the lay of the land. It is what it is and I'm sure they'll give us an update when they've got one themselves.' The uncertainty has prompted some to look abroad, with former Stars coach Kiri Wills joining the Queensland Firebirds in Australia's Super Netball. Sokolich-Beatson admits her offshore prospects might be limited. 'I don't know if I'd be wanted overseas. I'm 28 now. Teams might not want to invest in an older player. Teams like to invest in youth because you can get more out of them.' The Mystics skipper is keeping faith in Wyllie, despite the lack of communication. Sokolich-Beatson said she is sure the NNZ chief executive has the best interests of the players at heart. 'I don't know what she's dealing with behind the scenes, but I'm sure she'll do the best thing she can for us as players and for netball in New Zealand.' Sokolich-Beatson said she thought players were under the impression 'the people that make the decisions will make the right decision – whatever that may be with what they have on offer'. Preseason has looked a little different for the Mystics in 2026 after the departure of Grace Nweke to the New South Wales Swifts and Phoenix Karaka on maternity leave. Midcourter Peta Toeava has been training at goal attack, with a new-look shooting circle taking shape. Usually a wing attack, Toeava is loving the change, Sokolich-Beatson said. 'Peta would love to be a goal attack fulltime, I think. She's practising her shooting all the time so for us it gives another option. Is she our first go-to goal attack? No. Is she our second? Probably not. But she's there as a third back-up if we need her.' Sokolich-Beatson said they only have three shooters – Donnell Wallam, Filda Vui and Hannah Glen. 'If one of them gets injured or goes down, then we only have two. Then you've got no changes, nothing to fall back on. We've been in that situation before and it hasn't served us well.' The ANZ Premiership starts on May 10.
