But beneath the tranquil exterior the 20-year-old was a bundle of nerves and struggled to cope with the pressure.
"I used to get so nervous shooting," she said.
"So when I had the chance to go to goal keep [during a New Zealand under-21 camp last year], I was much, much less nervous and I liked it and stayed there."
Defenders rarely get the blame when a game goes poorly, but shooters often find themselves under the microscope, she said.
"I feel sorry for the shooters sometimes, because games are often decided by just one goal and that sort of thing."
Switching to defence helped, but Selby-Rickit still gets anxious before every game.
That apprehension was amplified last weekend when she was called on to perform one of the hardest tasks in world netball - shut down ace shooter Irene van Dyk.
With regular Steel goal keep Megan Hutton sidelined for the match, Selby-Rickit was assigned mission impossible.
Van Dyk played superbly, landing all 38 of her attempts.
Fellow Magic shooter Maria Tutaia did not have a bad day either, scoring 16 of her 19 attempts to help her side win 54-47.
It was a steep learning curve for the youngster and, with Hutton looking unlikely to play in tomorrow's derby against the Tactix in Dunedin, Selby-Rickit could find herself doing battle with former Silver Ferns shooter Jodi Brown.
"I've never marked her before. They [Brown and former Otago Rebels shooter Angela Mitchell] have been improving with every game. It should be really interesting."
Since making the decision to shift to defence, Selby-Rickit has received a lot of support from Steel coach Robyn Broughton and advice from Hutton.
"Broughton encouraged me and gave me a chance in the defence. Megan has given me heaps of tips and has been really helpful.
"Also the other defenders, like Katrina Grant, and the outside defenders, like Sheryl [Scanlan] and Erika [Burgess], have been really helpful."
Selby-Rickit comes from a sporty family. Her father, Haydn "Hud" Rickit, played two tests for the All Blacks against Scotland in 1981. He also played for Italy.
Both her sisters, Te Paea and Miriama, play for the Western national championship team. Her two teenage brothers are both promising rugby and league players.
When Selby-Rickit is not playing or training for netball, she enjoys playing basketball and keeps busy studying for a diploma in film and television at the Southern Institute of Technology.
The Tactix has a solid squad, with experienced shooters Brown and Mitchell able to rely on a good supply of ball from a strong midcourt boasting Silver Ferns Maree Bowden and Julie Seymour and the busy Phillipa Finch.
Experienced England defender Sonia Mkoloma leads a handy defence, which includes promising New Zealand under-21 player Charlotte Kight.
The match shapes as an even encounter.
The sides shared the honours last season, with the Steel winning in Christchurch and the Tactix turning the tables in Invercargill.
Steel chief executive Julie Paterson said about 300 tickets remained ast night, but she was confident the match would sell out.
