One of Noeline Taurua's first pledges after being named coach of the Silver Ferns was a promise to push players to their limits - and then a little beyond.
The looks of exhaustion plastered across the players faces at the Ferns' Quad Series training camp reveal Taurua's well and truly delivering on that edict.
"It's been pretty tough," she admits. "The measurements they have in the morning are showing that they are buggered.`"
The squad will travel to Liverpool to take on hosts England, Australia, and South Africa in the tournament, which begins January 13.
"Going into this Quad series, it was always going to be about that - being put under the pump physically, emotionally and mentally," says Taurua. "They’ve been prepared for that since the end of Constellation Cup.
"We need to swing it really hard, so that they know they're not going to die, but also set the standard of what's required in the team."
By all accounts, the intensity is paying dividends. Taurua is impressed by the early standard her players have set.
"Even though they are buggered, I'm quite inspired by the intent, the focus and what they're actually doing out there on the court.
"They are pushing themselves and that’s massive for me.
"People aren’t taking their position for granted, I love that. Hopefully that internal competition is going to help us, when we get together as a group."
Taurua admits she's demanded a lot of the group, as she looks to build on some of the improvements shown in October's Constellation Cup, where the team pushed the world champion Australians to their limit.
The arduous testing has weeded out a few stragglers already, with one smaller group of players already missing the cut for selection. By contrast, some of the cream has started to rise to the top.
"To be honest, they're being hammered quite a bit," Taurua said. "It's becoming clearer after each trial or training as to the tenaciousness, all those people who have the fight.
"Someone's going to miss out and that’s because there are other people putting their hand up. That's a really positive thing.
"I was worried that there may have been more [missing out], so I'm really happy that we've got a team to select."
One of Taurua's main priorities is ensuring the team are aware of their individual roles and responsibilities on court.
"There's nowhere to hide and if a person doesn't do their job, then it's impacting on somebody else. That shows when we play out on court and we can't afford that."
Ferns captain Laura Langman testifies to the raising of the bar within camp, the veteran nodding her head, when asked where it ranked among her vast years of experience with the team.
The centre is impressed by what she sees from her colleagues, describing the fitness testing as the best she's ever been involved with.
"We learned from the Constellation Cup that we have to be able to make decisions under mental and physical fatigue, and the coaches are certainly nailing that."
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