Silver Ferns defender Leana de Bruin has been lured back to the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic for next year's transtasman netball league.
De Bruin, who spent the past two seasons with the Southern Steel, joined the Northern Mystics in 2008 before playing for the Magic the next year.
She made her Silver
Ferns debut in 2003 and has 46 caps for New Zealand, on top of 34 for South Africa.
De Bruin, named joint MVP for this year's transtasman league with Queensland Firebirds goal attack Natalie Medhurst, said the chance to be closer to her home base in Cambridge was too good to pass up.
"The fact that I live up here in Waikato and my little toddler were definitely deciding factors," de Bruin said.
"Caleb is 20 months old and he's just starting to realise when I go away, so I basically just didn't want the amount of travelling and being away from home that I would have to do if playing for someone else. The thought of playing at home was fantastic."
De Bruin said the loss of Robyn Broughton as Steel head coach had little influence on her decision.
"Even if Robbie was still there, I would have had the same questions and the same dilemmas. My decision is solely based on my own personal situation.
"I was in this similar position last year but because it was a short season I thought I could make it work."
De Bruin is now focused on the Ferns' world championship campaign and the side leave for Singapore on Monday.
