The 28-year-old wing attack will be making her 55th appearance for the franchise. The durable mid-courter would have claimed the record last year but she skipped the season to start a family. Son Archie was born in August and has given her a completely new perspective on life.
Some things never change, though. Frew (nee Telfer) really loves winning and her main objective this weekend is to help slow down the Thunderbirds supply of ball to its talented shooting duo of Carla Borrego and Erin Bell.
While the Steel's attack end has flourished in the opening rounds, the defensive unit has struggled to restrict teams scoring and to generate turnovers.
The Steel is determined to do better and help out its relatively young defensive unit with tighter defence throughout court.
''Our defence is working really hard and we're improving,'' Frew said.
''Right from the pre-season we've been pretty tough on ourselves in terms of demanding a lot from each other.
''You've got to get turnovers to win games, so as a D unit, we need to keep working the combinations and keep working on the things we are not doing so well.
''Obviously, our attack end is going fantastically so we just need to back it up with a bit of ball.
''Borrego is strong for them, so as mid-courters we've got to keep them up the court as long as we can and get our hands over the ball as much as we can. If we can do that, it is going to slow the ball down and help out our circle defenders.''
Frew enjoyed her year away from netball but found it hard watching the Steel.
''It was pretty tough at the start, before I had a big belly on me, and when I was still fit enough to play. It was good to see the girls get a few wins early on but when it got tough towards the end of the season you wanted to be out there to help them out.
''But for me, having a year off was probably good, mentally. I've been playing for a long time now and it was good to refresh myself. I've come back into netball and know what I'm playing for.''
The Steel has played the Thunderbirds six times for two wins but the home team has always emerged victorious, a good omen for the combined Otago-Southland team.
But this Steel team is very much in a rebuilding phase. It lost its last 10 games last year and started this season with a further loss before snapping its losing streak with a 75-56 win against the Tactix in Christchurch last week.
Jamaican shooter Jhaniele Fowler has been the form shooter in the competition and a revelation for the Steel. Her individual haul of 65 goals against the Tactix was an ANZ Championship record and has helped inspire her team-mates.
''We have a real feeling of excitement. It is early days in the season and you just want to be playing the game.''
The Thunderbirds do not appear to have many weaknesses, though. Borrego has historically been one of the better performed shooters in the competition, the midcourt is classy, with the likes of Natalie von Bertouch and Emily Beaton running the floor, and Rebecca Bulley is a seasoned defender.
ANZ Championships
Steel v Thunderbirds
Where: Edgar Centre, Dunedin
When: 4.20pm today
Record: Played 6; Thunderbirds 4, Steel 2
