Malysha Kelly was looking forward to an afternoon of lugging fire hoses around and climbing stairs when the Otago Daily Times called for an interview yesterday.
She was to join her team-mates in a team-building exercise at Rugby Park.
It was a team-building exercise but the hoses might have come in handy for dampening expectations. The last tall Jamaican to suit up for the Steel turned out to be a ''superstar''.
Jhaniele Fowler-Reid anchored the Steel's attack end with stunning success for five years.
It is a hell of a backdrop and Kelly was keen to remind fans she is a very different type of player. For a start, she is 13cm shorter and plays at the other end of the court.
''Obviously, Jhaniele is a superstar,'' Kelly said.
''I appreciate the fact that she's really paved the way for us girls to play internationally, but I'm not putting pressure on myself to be like Jae.
''I'm in a different position and I do play differently. But I have high standards as well.''
The pair are close friends and it was that connection that helped the Steel lure Kelly to New Zealand to play in the ANZ Premiership.
The 28-year-old arrived in Invercargill late last month and ''it is not quite like I expected''.
Kelly had heard stories about the weather but Southland has been enjoying its version of a heatwave.
She is ''loving it'' and cannot wait to show what she is capable of and to improve her netball.
''I'm definitely looking forward to being the person that I've always meant to be.
''I've always struggled with inconsistency but with this team, which I watched last year because I was following Jhaniele, it was quite consistent and I was very impressed by that.
''I hope that being here I will be able to actually achieve that as well and bring in something different in terms of how I play.''
Kelly has been part of the Jamaican squad since 2008. She represented her country at the 2011 Netball World Championships and has a bronze medal from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
She hopes to upgrade that to silver or gold at the Gold Coast Games in April. There is a little matter of selection first.
She will have an opportunity to impress the selectors in March when Jamaica competes for the Taini Jamison Trophy, which also features the Silver Ferns, Malawi Queens and Fiji Pearls.
Kelly rates Jamaica's chances, particularly with so many of its key players plying their trade around the world.
''I think we do have a good shot. We have a really good bunch of girls and a strong camaraderie. We're friends on and off the court and we have some real talent within our players.
''We do think that now that we're exposed to other things, we definitely do things differently and we do have confidence in that.
''When I went back to Jamaica, you can see a difference in people and how they approach training. They take on board what we say and what we've learned.''
The Steel opens its campaign against the Northern Mystics in Palmerston North on May 6.
