Otago centre Debbie White was "blown away" when she heard her name called as one of 21 Silver Ferns triallists.
White, 27, was sitting in the stands with her Otago team-mates at the end of the national championships and had no idea of the impression she had made on New
Zealand coach Ruth Aitken.
"I was very surprised, actually, and pretty blown away," she said.
White was one of a handful of surprise selections for the trial in Auckland on October 16.
After the trial Aitken will announce a 12-strong squad to face Australia in the one-off test in Auckland on October 29.
The two other unexpected triallists came from tournament upstarts Western - midcourter Liana Barrett-Chase and 17-year-old shooter Jessica Tuki.
White and Barrett-Chase will find it hard to break into a squad that boasts genuine depth and experience in the midcourt.
Incumbent centre Temepara George was named A grade player of the tournament courtesy of her performances for champions North and is the clear front-runner to retain her starting spot. With Laura Langman snapping at George's heels and Lesley Rumball, Anna Rowberry and Victoria Edward in the mix, Aitken already has a selection dilemma.
"There are some fantastic players out there and I'm really honoured to be picked among them," White said.
Aitken expected problems narrowing down all areas of the court.
"It doesn't take much to realise that the maths of going from 21 to 12 is going to be a very challenging experience, but that's great for the sport," Aitken said.
The national coach revealed there was ample competition for places, nominating defenders Stephanie Bond (Auckland) and Katie Ritchie (Otago) as unlucky to miss selection.
A notable selection is Canterbury shooter Belinda Colling, recently returned from Scotland, where she took a break from top-level netball.
Aitken said White's selection was good reward for her efforts in the tournament.
"I think she was probably a bit up and down but she put in some strong performances to finish with."
- NZPA
