The 29-year-old mother of two from Otaki, near Wellington, has made the move to Dunedin without her children.
Son Hennessey (9) and daughter Maika (7) are staying up north with family while Cooper concentrates on the ANZ championship season.
The former Central Pulse midcourter was the last player signed to the Steel's 12-strong roster last August, and said she missed home but made the right decision to venture south.
''I really miss home,'' she said.
''More the fact I miss my children and my family. But it's OK. So OK is better than not OK, of course.
''I [moved] for a good reason. I thought, `I need to do something for myself'. There is a chance I have probably more of a show down here in getting more court time, if I'm honest.
''But still, it doesn't mean I can just come down here and get it. I still have to earn it.''
Cooper, a one-cap Silver Fern, was widely touted as a future star as a teenager and made the New Zealand under-21 team when she was 16.
However, she spent the best part of a decade playing at provincial level after having children.
Pulse coach Robyn Broughton took a punt on her in 2012 and she immediately impressed and forced her way into the team's starting line-up.
Cooper blew out her knee in week 13 that year and did not play in the transtasman competition in 2013.
That did not stop her from being a surprise inclusion in the Silver Ferns the same year, when she earned her sole test cap against Malawi.
Cooper returned to the Pulse last season, before signing a one-year deal with the Steel.
''I like it. The girls are good. The team is fresh and young, so it's a nice environment,'' she said.
''A lot of the girls have been together in NPC ... so it's kind of good to have that connection from somewhere.
''For people like me coming into the team, they're making it feel really comfortable.''
Three years removed from knee surgery, Cooper is looking forward to the team's five pre-season games in Sydney this weekend.
''We are going to use it to see where we are at and what the competition is like. It's not going to be easy,'' she said.
Cooper joins captain Wendy Frew, Shannon Francois, Stacey Peeters and Gina Crampton in the Steel midcourt, and is most likely to play at wing defence.
She chose to base herself in Dunedin instead of Invercargill and is one of six Steel players based in the city this year.
''The real reason was because our trainer [Simon Jones] is here,'' she said.
''It's easy access to the trainer and nutritionist. They're right there, so it's good to stay close to them to keep me on track.''
Cooper will see her children when the Steel plays her former team in a pre-season match in Otaki on February 21.
Her children are also expected to travel south for a few games this year and Cooper will also visit them when the team plays in Palmerston North in May.
The Steel leaves for Sydney today and plays the first of its five games, against the West Coast Fever, tomorrow night.
