Once shooter Paula Griffin arrived at that conclusion, the decision to shift south from the struggling Central Pulse to the Steel this season became a whole lot easier.
Still, leaving behind a team you have come to love is a bit like getting off a Ferris wheel - not easy when you are having fun.
The 22-year-old former Silver Fern fretted over the decision and sat down with her parents to go over the pros and cons.
But the chance to learn from coach Robyn Broughton and play alongside, for the want of a better phrase, better players, swayed her decision.
"At the end of the day, even though I loved my team, I just had to put myself first and think what was going to be the best for my career," Griffin explained.
Griffin believes playing alongside Daneka Wipiiti in the shooting circle and honing her craft under the watchful eye of Broughton will drive her game forward and bring the consistency she desires.
"I know I can play better than I have in the past," she said.
"You just have to be consistent at this level, otherwise you are not really going to get anywhere. Some games I'd be shooting really well but my court play would not be so good. Sometimes the shooting would not go well but the other areas would be good.
"So I've got to find the balance and be more consistent all round. That is what I'm after this year.
"It is about combinations and who you are going to be playing with. And who are you going to learn from so you can get better?
"I learnt a lot at the Pulse but I just needed the players around me that I can learn more off, because we were all quite young and were learning together."
Griffin took a break from the international game last season to freshen up but is keen to win her Silver Ferns spot back.
"Having a break has made me more determined to come back. That was the whole point of my break. I feel a lot more determined, a lot fitter and a lot more focused.
"I don't expect to walk straight back into the Ferns. You can't do that in top level sports. But I'll just do my best to make the squad again and then just go from there."
Griffin has played most of her netball at goal shoot but switched to goal attack when she made the Silver Ferns in 2007.
At 1.85m, Griffin is on the short side for goal shoot these days and has accepted she needs to play a more mobile game and slot into the feeding role as well as put up the shots when called on.
"I'm slowly getting used to the role. I've still got a lot to learn in the goal attack bib. But that is where I play now, so I'm definitely going to have to learn."
Griffin has trained alongside Wipiiti with the Silver Ferns but the combination is largely untried.
How the pair gel will have a huge impact in determining how the Steel go this season.
The combined Otago-Southland team has made the playoffs for the past two seasons and is targeting the final this year.