Te Paea Selby-Rickit might finally be in line for some regular court time this season.
The 23-year-old looks destined to start the season at goal attack alongside ace shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, filling the void left by the departure of Jodi Brown to the Central Pulse.
Coach Janine Southby has kept her cards close to her chest ahead of the season opener against the Swifts, declining to reveal her starting seven.
However, with Brooke Leaver expected to miss another week or two due to back injury, Sophia Fenwick is the only other option.
She missed the team's final two pre-season games in Otaki last weekend, but is expected to be fit for the season opener.
Selby-Rickit has made 18 appearances for the Steel the past four seasons, including five a year ago, and has been busy learning the goal attack position.
''I'm still getting used to the position,'' she said.
''I've played there a wee bit the past couple of years and at training, but not really under pressure in the real competition.
''But I'm getting more comfortable each week. I've still got a lot to work on, but I'm getting there.''
The 1.88m shooter has played the majority of her netball at goal shoot, a position where she could enjoy a ''bit of a breather''.
''But at goal attack you have to work down the court,'' she said.
''If you're not, you're putting a lot more pressure on the defence. You have got to help them out a bit more.''
If Selby-Rickit starts alongside Fowler-Reid, the Steel will boast one of the tallest shooting combinations in the league.
At 1.98m, Fowler-Reid is a serious weapon for the franchise. She connected on 531 of her 566 attempts (93%) last season , the second highest percentage in the league.
Selby-Rickit, who hit 44 of her 55 shots (80%) a season ago, has enjoyed working with the Jamaican star in the pre-season, and thinks their height will cause other teams problems.
She has also benefited from strength and conditioning coach Simon Jones ramping up the pre-season training.
''I've been feeling a lot fitter than I have previously. I've been working really hard. Jonesy has been putting us through our paces, so it will be good to finally show the hard work we have been doing.''
In addition to the prospect of starting at goal attack, Selby-Rickit is making her presence known within the squad this year.
''I've always sort of taken a young girl approach,'' she said.
''There's quite a few of us young ones in there and we usually just sit back and kind of chill and let the older ones take charge.
''But this year, a couple of us have been there a few years now and are stepping up a wee bit and being a bit more responsible.''
Unlike Swifts coach Rob Wright, who has not yet decided on his starting seven for tomorrow night, Southby had already finalised hers by Thursday.
With the pre-season in the rearview mirror, Southby knows the intensity will go up against the Swifts.
''The intensity for some of them [players] tomorrow night will be something they haven't seen before,'' she said.
''But they are excited. Three months in a young person's life is a long time, so they are looking forward to getting started.''
Southby is expecting the Swifts, a playoff team a year ago, to be ''nothing short of very physical, very fast, and accurate''.
Defender Phoenix Karaka, who sprained her knee in the pre-season shootout in Sydney three weeks ago, got through training on Thursday and will play in the opener.
Steel v Swifts
Invercargill, tomorrow, 7.10pm
Head to head: Played 7, Steel 2 (both in Invercargill), Swifts 5.
Greatest winning margins: Steel 7 goals, Swifts 17 goals.
THE 2015 SEASON
Coach: Janine Southby.
Assistant coach: Reinga Te Huia.
Last season: Fifth (7-6).
Gains: Katarina Cooper, Brooke Leaver, Sophia Fenwick, Jane Watson.
Losses: Jodi Brown, Rachel Rasmussen, Erena Mikaere, Phillipa Finch.
Squad: Katarina Cooper, Gina Crampton, Sophia Fenwick, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Shannon Francois, Wendy Frew (captain), Phoenix Karaka, Brooke Leaver, Stacey Peeters, Storm Purvis, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Jane Watson.
SCHEDULE
• March 1, v Swifts, Invercargill
• March 7, v Tactix, Invercargill
• March 14, v Fever, Perth
• March 29, v Mystics, Auckland
• April 6, v Tactix, Christchurch
• April 11, v Magic, Invercargill
• April 1, v Vixens, Melbourne
• April 27, v Thunderbirds, Dunedin
• May 2, v Pulse, Dunedin
• May 10, v Magic, Hamilton
• May 7, v Pulse, Palmerston North
• May 23, v Mystics, Invercargill
• May 31, v Firebirds, Brisbane
Three questions
1 Can the Steel find consistency?
Last year, the franchise lost its opening three matches before recovering to finish fifth on the back of four straight wins down the stretch.
In 2013, five wins in its first eight games had the Steel poised to make a run to the playoffs, before a string of losses derailed the season.
Southby said it is a ''huge mental thing'', and she is focused on putting a whole season together.
2 Will the defensive end hold up?
The Steel goes into the new season with just three specialist defenders on the roster.
Gone are Rachel Rasmussen and Erena Mikaere, leaving Storm Purvis, Phoenix Karaka and off-season signing Jane Watson to carry the load.
Purvis has made 30 appearances for the franchise over three years, while Karaka has hit the court 18 times in her two years with the team. Karaka featured for the Silver Ferns in the Oceania series in January, and was named player of the match in a 89-23 win over Samoa. Watson, a former St Kevin's College pupil, moved south from the Mainland Tactix in the off-season and has looked good in the pre-season.
It is not an overly tall trio. Purvis and Karaka measure 1.86m, while Watson is 1.81m.
As long as they can stay healthy - something easier said than done in an increasingly physical competition - the Steel should be fine.
3 Can youth triumph?
It is obvious Southby is building a youthful team.
Nine players on the 12-strong roster are under 25 and only captain Wendy Frew, midcourter Katarina Cooper and Jhaniele Fowler-Reid are on the other side.
With Jodi Brown, Erena Mikaere, Phillipa Finch and Rachel Rasmussen gone from last year, so, too, is 24 years of ANZ Championship experience.
However, Frew will offer plenty of experience in the midcourt, glueing together what looks like a youthful but exciting squad.
