Erena Mikaere made her Silver Ferns debut earlier in the month after years of playing in Australia for the Sunshine Coast. She offers her reflections on replacing former captain, Katrina Grant.
"She was in the back of my mind I guess when we were there, but with the likes of Casey and Jane and Karin Burger, I was like, 'I just have to do my own mahi to stay here'."
Mikaere also acknowledges Grant’s humility when not selected, saying, "The girls definitely felt the aroha of her message- that she left us going forward. She'll definitely be doing the mahi in the ANZ [championships] to be hitting that mark in July."
Mikaere was also calmed by an unexpected source before her debut.
"I had Casey's daughter sing the national anthem a few times to us, so my nerves...I was quite ready because she had sung to me and it was quite touching having Casey with her daughter singing it to her in the hotel room because she was my roommate.
"Having that and then going to the national anthem, I thought, 'thank goodness mum and dad aren't here because I would cry,'” Mikaere says with a laugh.
See the full story on Te Kāea, 5:30pm Māori Television.