Kayla Cullen brings a pragmatic approach to her netball which meshes nicely with the Silver Ferns' developing up-tempo game ahead of next month's World Cup in Sydney.
The world No.2 New Zealanders over-ran seventh-ranked Fiji 91-31 in Wellington on Thursday, and now face world No.6 South Africa in Hamilton on Sunday and in Auckland two days later.
Cullen played two quarters at wing defence against Fiji, completing her comeback from a devastating knee injury nearly two years ago.
The versatile 1.83m defender adds extra height to the midcourt, quick hands and feet on defence, and a bullet pass downcourt into the Silver Ferns new-look shooting circle.
Her approach to attack is refreshingly direct.
"I like looking long and doing the long passes," she told AAP.
"I don't like doing those short little ones - my model is the longer the pass, and the further you get it down, the less work or running you have to do."
A major plus for Cullen, and for a Silver Ferns midcourt that found pace and fluency against Fiji, is a new mix in the shooting circle.
Either Maria Tutaia or Jodi Brown provide plenty of movement in the goal attack bib, while newcomers Bailey Mes and Malia Paseka bring impressive athleticism and elevation at goal shoot.
Cullen has a direct approach to finding the pair with a long bomb from the centre third: "You can pretty much chuck it wherever you want, and either Bailey or Malia will get it."
Just 19 when she made her Silver Ferns debut four years ago, it's taken Cullen far longer than she'd like to return from her second anterior cruciate reconstruction.
She missed the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and took a while to earn consistent court time at goal defence for the Northern Mystics in the trans-Tasman league.
Now, however, she has every confidence in her knee, and is looking forward to testing it against the Norma Plummer-coached South Africans at Claudelands Arena on Sunday.
Although the Silver Ferns looked supremely comfortable in downing Fiji, Cullen says there's still plenty of room for improvement.
"We're a very new team, we're very young, and we're trying new things. I think it's a refreshing team - we're definitely no where we need to be, but we've still got a few weeks before we hit World Cup."
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