Rotorua's Samantha Sinclair is striving for a successful Silver Fern future after an impressive performance in the recent Fast5 World Series.
Former John Paul College student Sinclair, 21, was part of New Zealand's winning Fast5 Ferns side who demolished Australia 41-16 in the grand final in Melbourne on Sunday - helping the Kiwis to their fourth straight title in the competition.
The win extended New Zealand's dominance in the shortened version of the game, as they clinched their sixth title in seven years.
The Kiwis had narrowly lost to Australia 32-29 on day one of the intense two-day tournament but Sinclair, who impressed at centre, said the tactical masterstroke of opting to play their double-points powerplay quarter in the second spell was the key to success.
"The first time round we didn't play such a physical game and our power plays were not enough," she said. "But we changed it up for the final and we really timed our power play well.