Former Silver Fern Jade Topia has no qualms about her role coming off the bench in this year's trans-Tasman netball league.
Topia, 22, has been used sparingly by Northern Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan so far this season, but has proven particularly effective over the closing stages when she has taken the court.
The Mystics haven't had the happiest of seasons, with only two wins over the Central Pulse to keep them off the bottom of the table.
Tomorrow night's clash with the Canterbury Tactix, who also have just two wins from seven starts, has been targeted by the Aucklanders as a must-win match.
And Topia is ready to do her part -- whatever that might be.
Keenan has made the most of the luxury of having a quartet of talented shooters, ranging from the experience of English international Pamela Cookey and Samoan goal shoot Cathrine Latu to Topia and New Zealand under-21 representative Grace Rasmussen.
But Topia is happy to fit in with whatever the game plan might be, and has no problems with coming off the bench when the pressure is on.
"You do feel a little pressure coming into those big games to finish off the goals and stuff. But that's part of a shooter's role -- you don't know when you're going to get put on," she told NZPA.
Topia has had to handle some tough defence, coming up against players like towering Australian goal keep Susan Fuhrmann, Jamaican representative Althea Byfield and of course New Zealand's outstanding Casey Williams.
Against the Tactix, Topia could be battling the long arms and elevation of English defender Sonia Mkoloma, not to mention the attentions of up-and-coming New Zealand under-21 representative Charlotte Kight.
One of the key attributes of a good bench player is the ability to make the best use of time spent on the sidelines, Topia said.
"I'll be looking at what our shooters are doing, and also what their defence is up to. And thinking about what could I do if I was out there.
"In the quarter breaks as well, you can relay it back to the girls who are on court." While Topia's strength has been the accuracy of her shooting, she is also conscious of the need to keep working on other aspects of her game, particularly with teamwork on attack and defence.
"It's not just me in there by myself. It's about the feeders putting the ball into the right space, and we help each other out in the circle as well, just with screening and stuff like that."
Topia said with the ANZ Championship only six rounds from the play-off series, it was time for the Mystics to step up.
"Every game is physical and the intensity has stepped up a notch. We're into the second season, and everybody's going out there to prove what they've got. But I don't think we've played our A game yet."
