The team is set to take a pre-season trip to Australia to play two proposed warm-up games against the Sunshine Coast Lightning, Taurua's new team. The matches are scheduled for February 10 and February 12 at the University of Sunshine Coast sports stadium.
The Steel will head over earlier to have training sessions with the Lightning. Taurua coached the Steel this year, when it finished top of the table after the round-robin in the transtasman league.
''Noeline Taurua has continued her connection with our head coach, Reinga Bloxham, and been involved with mentoring her,'' Steel chief executive Lana Winders said.
''Now that we're not in the same competition [as the Australian teams], it creates an opportunity for our two franchises to create training opportunities for each other.
''They're obviously owned by the Melbourne Storm and they have cutting-edge performance programmes in play currently in the league space. So we are always looking for some fresh thinking and fresh experiences for our players in terms for their own performance.''
It is the latest weekend the Lightning was available to play the Steel, as the Australian domestic league begins the following week.
That means an early start to the pre-season playing schedule for the Steel, which does not play its first competition game until March 26, although Winders said it would be good to get off to a strong start early.
The games will fall on days either side of a pre-season league game between the Storm and the New Zealand Warriors on the coast, creating a big sporting weekend.
They will also be played while the Silver Ferns are away in the UK, meaning the side will be down four players. That will provide opportunities to develop players from the South team in the Beko League.
''It's pretty awesome. I keep beating this drum around local opportunities for local coaches and players and this is just part of our investment for them.''
The details of the trip had not yet been finalised as it needed final approval from Netball New Zealand.
Four southern players have been named in the 17-person New Zealand under-21 squad for a four-day camp before next year's World Youth Cup.
Shooters Jamie Hume, Aliyah Dunn and Jennifer O'Connell, as well as defender Abby Erwood, will attend the camp in Auckland this weekend. The squad will be cut to 12 before the tournament, which will be held from July 8-16.
-By Jeff Cheshire
