Samoa replaces World Cup qualifying coach with former Mystics coach Winikerei

Netball Samoa has replaced its winning coach who led Tifaimoana Samoa to qualify for the 2027 Netball World Cup.

Tia Winikerei, a career policewoman and Northern Mystics head coach during the 2023 ANZ Premiership season, takes over from Natalie Mathews.

Mathews term had expired at the end of the Oceania Netball Championship in Nuku'alofa last month.

Winikerei spent 16 years in the New Zealand Police.

Netball Samoa said with the Netball World Cup as their primary international objective, Winikerei will lead the team's technical preparation and contribute to player identification, squad development and performance planning as Samoa builds towards the tournament.

"We welcome Tia to this important role and look forward to working with her, our players, coaches, partners and the wider netball community as we take this next step for Samoa netball," Netball Samoa's CEO Justine Wilson-Ata said.

"The appointment marks an important step in our preparations for the Netball World Cup.

"As a nation, we recognise the significance of this opportunity and the responsibility of preparing a team that can represent Samoa with pride, discipline and determination on the world stage."

Wilson-Ata said Winikerei's appointment reflected Netball Samoa's commitment to identifying eligible talent, developing a competitive squad and ensuring our players receive the guidance and preparation needed for international competition.

"While the World Cup remains our primary focus, we are also committed to providing our players with valuable opportunities to compete internationally, strengthen their combinations and gain experience against quality opposition."

Winikerei also served as the inaugural head coach of the Mystics men's team in 2022, before progressing to the franchise's senior coaching role.

She said her coaching approach places emphasis on team unity, individual contribution, strong team culture and creating an environment in which players can contribute to collective performance.

She described coaching Samoa as a "tremendous honour".

"I feel privileged to be part of this journey and to help bring Samoa's talent, passion and potential to the world stage at the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027.

"Over the years, I have coached many Samoan players and have seen first-hand their exceptional talent for reading our game, competing with strength and dominating the sport.

"I have followed Tifaimoana through the Oceania series and in overseas competitions for many years.

"Last week I was excited by the opportunity to observe players in the local tournament in Samoa. There is genuine potential within the Samoan netball community, and together, we have an opportunity to build a team that believes in its ability to compete on the world stage."

Assistant coaches

Also named this week are two assistant coaches: Anita Keelan AM and Pelesa Semu.

Netball Samoa sais Keelan AM brought more than 32 years of coaching and development experience across Australian netball.

She currrently serves as Netball Australia's pathway head coach, leading the national programmes across the Under-17 to 21 categories.

Semu is a former Samoa international and Capital Shakers captain, alongside a distinguished coaching career in New Zealand spanning grassroots, school, age-group, National Netball League and ANZ Premiership environments.

Netball Samoa said together, Keelan and Semu bring complementary strengths in high-performance preparation, talent identification, athlete development and coaching leadership to Tifaimoana Samoa's journey towards the world stage.

Mathews devastated

Mathews said she was devastated when she recieved the news that would no longer be coach.

She told RNZ Pacific over the weekend that she was disappointed she would not continue in the role as it was something she had invested a lot of time in.

After the qualifier in Tonga, she said she was proud of the team's achievement and was confident that the current squad would do well at the world meet.

Speaking to Samoa Observer this week, Mathews said the team achieved so much together.

"We achieved significant milestones together, including the Pacific Aus Sports Netball Series title, qualification for the 2027 Netball World Cup and a record of eight wins from nine matches during my tenure," she said.

She said she saw Samoa moved from 18th to 13th in the world rankings and winning the Pacific Aus series last year came after Tonga had dominated that competition since 2022.

"I have never doubted the potential of Samoan netball or the talent that exists within our communities," she told the Samoa Observer.

"My ambition was always to see Samoa establish itself among the world's top 10 netball nations."