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Temepara George has rejected accusations a rift with Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken influenced her decision to be unavailable for New Zealand's world netball championship defence.
Speculation is rife in netball circles that a disagreement between Aitken and her former vice-captain was behind the experienced centre's refusal to
be involved in the tournament which starts in Auckland on November 10.
Former Australian captain Kath Harby-Williams, now a presenter on Radio Sport, claimed George and Aitken had a major disagreement during the Silver Ferns' unsuccessful tour of England in May.
Harby-Williams told the network on Tuesday the falling out revolved around a late night episode shortly before the team headed home after losses to England and Australia.
George cautiously alluded to an incident on Tuesday, saying: "I don't just think it was Ruth and I - we were disappointed with the loss and you have discussions with the coach, as it's healthy to do.
"I don't think there was huge rift between Ruth and I."
After naming her 12-member squad on Monday, Aitken said she made strenuous attempts to coax George back into the fold.
However, the 59-test veteran is committed to moving across the Tasman to Townsville where partner Sione Faumuina plays rugby league for the North Queensland Cowboys.
The mother of two is transplanting her family there at the end of August, admitting the distance from Faumuina and waning enthusiasm for the sport were the motivating factors behind her unavailability.
The fact the netball world championship, initially planned for Fiji in July, had been put back to the end of the year in Auckland also complicated matters.
"When the world champs changed to November I had some doubts," George told Radio Sport.
"It started going through my head then. The Ferns were a huge priority at the start of the year but as six months went by it got really difficult.
"If the world champs were in July we'd be world champions now; because it was moved to November - it may be only another four months, but it's been a long year (separated from Faumuina)."
George said she would have preferred to have moved to Australia sooner but had to play the National Bank Cup - where she was player of the competition for a third season - in order to be eligible for the Ferns.
"Relocating at the start of the year wasn't an option so I bit the bullet there," she said.
However, by the time the Jamaicans were due to arrive at the start of July George decided it was time to reassess her commitment.
Her only regret was she quit on a losing note.
"I wish we'd won because then it wouldn't look like sour grapes and that I'd pulled out of the team because we lost. If anything it made me want to stay in the team."
But that was only a fleeting thought before she planned a lifestyle change that may involve her resuming playing with the Queensland franchise in next year's new trans-Tasman competition.
George said she withdrew to give the team time to build new combinations against Jamaica and Australia before going into camp for four months.
"I didn't want to put the girls and Ruth under more stress - I wanted them to have time to try new combinations, I didn't want to be selfish."
- NZPA
