Netball: World champion Silver Ferns hosted at parliamentary reception

The Silver Ferns will complete their zero-to-hero journey to a world championship, when they are hosted at Parliament by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday afternoon.

Twelve months ago, the national netball team was in disarray, after our women finished out of the Commonwealth Games medals for the first time, finishing fourth on the Gold Coast.

Coach Janine Southby was shown the door and Noleine Taurua elevated to the top job, tasked with turning the programme around. 

And what a change of fortunes she has overseen...

Taurua bolstered her player stocks by coaxing veterans Laura Langman and Casey Kopu back into the fold, and they set the standard for their teammates through the tournament in Liverpool.

That added steel proved crucial down the stretch, as the Australian Diamonds rallied from seven goals down to just one late in the fourth quarter of the final.

But the Ferns held on for a 52-51 win and their fifth world title - their first since 2003.

Kopua has since retired, but Taurua has recommitted for at least the next two campaigns - the trans-Tasman Constellation Cup in October and the Northern Quad Series in England next January.

Join us at noon Monday for full live coverage of the Parliamentary reception.

Newshub.