On this week's ‘Sports Buzz' podcast, host Keenan Gillson sits down in studio with Silver Ferns assistant coach Debbie Fuller to talk her journey as an athlete, coach, and all things netball.

Fuller also shares her thoughts on what it takes to build and lead a team in the in-person 31 minute interview on Sun Media's newest platform, Buzzworthy.

'I come from a family where mum and dad always supported us,” says Debbie.

'But then my father died when I was 12, so we had to work through that grief as a family, and put that energy into something positive like sport.

'Then to get the opportunity to represent the country just brings enormous pride. My mum is also really grounding for us, nothing was ever really a big deal.”

Speaking on her experience at the 1995 Birmingham Netball World Cup where New Zealand placed third, Debbie says it was an amazing experience.

'Sandra Edge was our captain, Leigh Gibbs was our coach, Noeline Taurua-Barnett was in the team, Bernice Mene, Belinda Charteris, we had a really strong team.

'But what we met a fierce South Africa with Irene van Dyk launching herself onto the world stage.

'When you come up against teams with that massive energy, we just couldn't match them in the round robin game so we missed out on the opportunity for the gold and silver medal.

'This was a huge learning opportunity for us as a playing group. To know you can train all you want, learn game, be a student of the game, but there's another layer of edge on the international stage you have to understand and go after.”

Debbie says she became a coach as she is able to utilise her skills as a 'teacher by trade”.

'I find coaching is another way to apply the craft of teaching. It was always something I really enjoyed doing. I also have always loved training.

'If you could take away the game and everything else, the opportunity to train athletes, bring them together and have a shared way of playing, it's the exploration part of coaching that I find really exciting.”

In Tauranga, Debbie coaches a year seven and nine team.

'The great thing about coaching those age groups is the simplicity you have to coach with. When you coach, I feel your time to shine as a coach is in the training. By the time you get to the game it is probably too late.

'If my time to train the Silver Ferns is my time to perform, practicing the method and the sequence of skillsets and the simplicity of language with my year sevens and nines is a great opportunity.”

Debbie adds the craft of coaching is continuous as 'the game is always changing”.

'The game is always evolving. You can't stand still and you can't sit on your ways as a coach. But at the same time, you have to be pretty strong on what you stand for.

'I think in my early days [of coaching] it was hard to bring people into line, I didn't know the dialogue or what to say. I was wanting players to perform and do well and then had to discipline them. It was a real juggling act.”

To hear more of what Debbie Fuller has to say about the world of netball and coaching, visit the full episode on the Buzzworthy website.