If her lean, mean 1.75m frame is anything to go by, Ferris is already a winner.
But it wasn't always so conclusive for the Eastern Institute of Technology sports and recreation second-year student.
"I used to play goal keep but all my rep coaches kept saying I should be a wing dee [wing defence]," reveals a grinning Ferris, who switched positions two years ago.
Her willingness to make the transition speaks volumes about her attitude to life and, "yeah, definitely", to leave nothing to chance.
Her agility and vision means she will be more pronounced in the circle in her attacking portfolio as WD, as opposed to taller shooters dwarfing her in a GK bib.
The burden of aspiring to become the first Pulse from the region can at times weigh heavily on her youthful shoulders but she isn't fazed.
"I do feel the pressure of becoming a Central Pulse because there are many people looking up to me to do it.
"If I blow it then I'll be letting down a lot of people."
However, the former Taradale High School pupil emphasises it's that same pressure that fuels her desire to accomplish the goal.
"I'm not just doing it for myself but I'm doing it for the entire region."
An Otane senior women's player in the Hawke's Bay Netball's new Super Six competition on Friday nights, Ferris has had stellar support from her parents, Evelyn Forster and Raana Ferris.
One of five siblings, she is the only one who is showing sporting traits.
The pedigree, she thinks, stems from her maternal side considering her uncle is former All Black and Otago halfback Stu Forster.
Her mother was an elite hockey player "in the days when they did the bully to start a game".
Realising her netball potential, in 2009 the parents enrolled her at Tu Toa College, renowned for its netball academy.
Former Taradale High coach Kim Howard, emigrating to Australia, recommended the college where Ferris attended as a sixth and seventh-form boarder.
"I was a bit scared at first because I always depended on mum - I still depend on mum - but I quickly learned to fend for myself."
Husband-and-wife academy coaches Nathan Durie and Yvette McClausland-Durie played vital roles in developing that sense of independence in their one-to-one rapport with her.
Ferris treasures a mental fortitude forged at the academy, something she feels is absent in the Bay courts.
HB netball co-ordinator Tina Arlidge is using the former Porritt Primary School pupil to mentor year 8 and under-15 to U17 players in the Bay.
"I love taking them because I specialise in fitness specific to netball," says Ferris who visits a gym three times a week for strength, conditioning and cardio as well as shuttle-run sessions mingled with netball training with Central U23 and Otane, who have won the Bay title eight years in a row.
Living with an uncle a stone's throw away from the Onekawa courts helps her cause.
She hopes to one day establish a template to help talent scouts follow youngsters' footprints to elite sport.
A pre-teen tomboy, rugby was her first love and netball was something "girlies" played.
Itwasn't until she got to Tamatea Intermediate that teacher Jan Henare, mother of former Tall Black and Hawks basketballer Paul, introduced Ferris to netball.
No regrets about slipping on bibs to go to Tu Toa College, then?
"Oh, yeah, definitely. It's the best decision I've ever made."
