The move south for more ANZ Premiership gametime is paying off for Southern Steel shooter Tiana Metuarau.
The former Central Pulse player is thriving in her new environment and has helped the Steel beat her former team twice already this season.
The move to Dunedin hasn't been plain sailing for Metuarau, as she adjusts to her new life away from friends and family, including mother, Silver Ferns legend and Pulse high performance director Waimarama Taumaunu.
"Her philosophy really is just that I play well, but that we lose and they win," Metuarau says.
There is still plenty of competitive banter between mother and daughter, and a cheeky Metuarau was talking up a big game before the two sides last met.
"Luckily, we came off with a win, because I wouldn't have gone home afterwards, after losing," she says.
Joining Southern Steel was about re-energising her netball career, after four years where she often sat on the sidelines.
Metuarau has formed a strong combination with English shooter George Fisher.
"It's like we're long-lost sisters," she says. "We get along really well and I think the fact that we're such good friends off the court translates into really good oncourt chemistry."
The new Southern pair are both born in Hertfordshire - Taumaunu was England Netball performance director from 1998-2003 - and have clicked instantly, with their games complementing each other's.
"It's really refreshing having new faces into our environment," says Steel coach Reinga Bloxham. "I think both Tiana and George are doing a great job in the circle."
The English import insists her Kiwi teammate calls the shots.
"It's very open and honest, so if I don't catch it, she'll be like, 'Gee, what was that' and vice versa," Fisher says. "I think it's quite nice that we can be open and honest, and I think that's what's kind of working for us."
The pair's personal goals are helping feed into a stronger Steel side this season.
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