Two daughters of New Zealand netball legends have been called into the Silver Ferns squad for the first time, alongside two other new faces - and the pocket rocket given a second shot.
Tiana Metuarau and Kate Heffernan were feeding lambs on a farm in Tapanui when Dame Noeline Taurua gave them both a call.
The Southern Steel team-mates were spending the day on Heffernan's family farm in Otago - "which is so unlike me", Metuarau says - when they were both told by the Silver Ferns coach they'd been included in the Silver Ferns squad for the first time.
What's even more special is that their mothers, Annette Heffernan and Wai Taumaunu, were team-mates in the Silver Ferns, and won the 1987 world championships together.
Metuarau called Taumaunu, the former Silver Ferns captain and coach, after she was told the news.
"Mum was very composed. She said 'I'm very proud of you. It only gets harder from here,'" the 20-year-old shooter laughs. "Dad was buying groceries and he shouted the supermarket down."
Metaurau did a lot of things outside her comfort zone this season which she reckons helped her break into the Silver Ferns. A real homebody, she left her family in Wellington to live in Dunedin and play for the Southern Steel.
She'd spent most of 2020's disrupted season on the bench at the Pulse. But this year, as No.1 goal attack for the Steel, she was compelling to watch in and around the shooting circle - teaming up with English import George Fisher, and able to make her presence felt in both the feeding and shooting roles. She's developing the same ability her mother had to dominate her opponents.
"I got great game time," she says. "But I didn't think this would come out of it."
In spite of her young years, Metuarau is resilient, already having bounced back from knee surgery. She was part of the Silver Ferns development squad five years ago "but I was a baby."
"I was way too young and I'm unsure it was the right time," she says. "When Mum was coaching the Silver Ferns, I was a little kid running around eating from the buffet, not paying any attention. It's amazing the time that was needed to grow as a player."
Now the time is right for the young shooter, destined for a long Silver Ferns career.
Here are the rest of the new faces - and one returnee - in the 17-strong squad working towards the Constellation Cup against Australia and next year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham:
Grace Nweke
She's still only 19, but the Mystics goal shoot has been knocking on the door of Silver Ferns selection for a little while now. At 1.93m, she may not have been the tallest player in the league but Nweke's outstanding reach and elevation (she's good at high jump too) meant few defenders could stop the ball sticking in her hands. Her shooting percentages have improved this season, averaging 90 percent accuracy, with the help of Australian coach Rob Wright.
Nweke says it was "nerve wracking" getting the call from Taurua on Monday, not long after the university student played a vital role in the Mystics' ANZ Premiership grand final victory.
"This will push my game," she says. "Just the opportunity to learn from Noels and Debbie [Fuller, assistant coach] and the many Silver Ferns who have so much experience in international netball."
Nweke also has a huge future in international netball ahead of her.
Jamie Hume
The dark horse in the Silver Ferns squad, Hume had a great season for the unlucky Stars - stepping up to take the shooting weight off the shoulders of Maia Wilson (who's in the squad too). After a couple of low-key seasons in the south, Hume has flourished in Auckland. Her long range shots and her confidence to turn and shoot are reminiscent of Maria Folau. She's not exactly new to this level - she's been a NZU21 and NZA player, and won the Fast5 World Series with the FAST5 Ferns in 2016. And now she makes the step up from the development squad.
Kate Heffernan
Heffernan could become a double international this year, having already played cricket for New Zealand, as an opening bowler for the White Ferns in T20s. The multi-talented athlete (who's twin, Georgia, has also played netball in the Steel side) decided last season to focus on her netball - with impressive results. A wing defence, she has expanded her game to centre this season, and learned so much there playing next to Silver Fern Shannon Saunders. Her new versatility, and her height in the midcourt, will have caught Taurua's eye.
Peta Toeava
This is a much deserved recall for Toeava, who played just one test for the Silver Ferns back in 2018. Shy off the court, but a leader on it, Toeava commanded the Mystics attack throughout the 2021 ANZ Premiership season where she was a repeated MVP. Her devotion to the game and her loyalty to the team were obvious in Sunday's grand final when she played with a badly sprained hand. There's something magical about Toeava's play - the way she reads the game so she can see what will happen two passes into the future, her deadly bombs into Nweke under the hoop, her explosive speed around the court. The Silver Ferns will benefit from her unique style of play.
* Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio, who is on maternity leave expecting her second child, has been included in the squad.
A number of former Silver Ferns were not considered for the squad, but are working with Silver Ferns staff to return to international netball: Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, concentrating on the rehab of her Achilles; Bailey Mes, taking time to continue her comeback from knee surgery; Phoenix Karaka, Katrina Rore and Kayla Johnson (nee Cullen), who've also been on maternity leave.
2021/22 SILVER FERNS SQUAD
Shooters: Ameliaranne Ekenasio (maternity leave), Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Maia Wilson, Jamie Hume, Tiana Metuarau, Grace Nweke.
Midcourters: Gina Crampton, Maddy Gordon, Claire Kersten, Shannon Saunders, Peta Toeava, Sam Winders, Kate Heffernan.
Defenders: Karin Burger, Sulu Fitzpatrick, Kelly Jury, Jane Watson.
2021/22 SILVER FERNS DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
Monica Falkner, Filda Vui, Whitney Souness, Kimiora Poi, Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, Paris Lokotui, Kate Burley, Oceane Maihi, Georgia Tong
