Silver Ferns rookie Tiana Metuarau has her share of admirers, after starring in New Zealand's 48-42 victory over England Roses in Christchurch.
Despite appearing in the black dress for the first time, the 20-year-old showed maturity beyond her years, as part of Dame Noeline Taurua's side.
With her very first touch of the ball, Metuarau netted her first goal, going on to land 17 from 19 attempts in a 45-minute outing that saw the Silver Ferns forced to work for their series-opening victory.
Debuting against her country of birth, Metuarau - the daughter of Silver Ferns legend Wai Taumaunu - also impressed in combination with goal shoot Maia Wilson (31 from 39), easing concerns over the absence of regular captain and shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio..
Coach Dame Noeline Taurua is full of praise for the youngster, who's on the right path to cement herself as a Silver Ferns regular.
"Definitely quite mature out there, which is what we sort of found out over the last couple of days," she says.
"[She's] got a bit of sass, what we think, but also just smart about what she did and [she] obviously did her job.
"I don't think her lungs have worked so hard in her life. [I'm] really proud of what she's been able to do out there, I think it's fantastic."
But despite Metuarau's game one heroics, Dame Noeline insists that there is still more work needed, tempering any expectations over her newest star.
"Like all of the players, it's about them doing their job. You can be smart, but you don't put the goals through or cough up a lot of ball - it's that final detail.
"Like everything, when you have your debut, it's always that second test that we'll be able to see how good or not she is, or what other areas she needs to improve on.
"So far, so good. I think that's a fantastic start for her."
In her first appearance as Silver Ferns captain, midcourter Gina Crampton was ideally placed to watch Metuarau's impressive display and echoed her coach’s sentiments.
"I'm not sure many people would get MVP in their debut, so [I'm] really impressed with her efforts today," says Crampton. "She played a full game as well - I'm sure her lungs were tested.
"We saw a lot of her craft, which is awesome to see from such a young player. She supported Maia [Wilson] really well, I thought."
Meanwhile, that praise could be heard from across the court, with England skipper Serena Guthrie a newfound admirer of the 20-year-old.
"I thought she had a great game," Guthrie says. "It's exciting for the Silver Ferns to be breaking in some new players.
"Fair play to her."
Join Newshub for live updates of the second Silver Ferns v England test from 7pm Wednesday.
