The Silver Ferns are unlikely to be pushed on court in this week's Oceania Tri-Series, but midcourter Camilla Lees believes she can still use the matches to push her case for World Cup selection.
After a breakthrough 2012 season, in which she established her place as the Ferns' first-choice wing attack, injury disruptions, work commitments and indifferent form saw Lees slip down the pecking order.
But with the national selectors rewarding the players who have done the hard yards over the summer break to improve their fitness and conditioning with a call-up for the Tri-Series involving Fiji and Samoa, Lees will finally get the chance to add to her 11 test caps this week.
While the two Pacific Island nations won't offer the same level of competition that the Ferns' key World Cup rivals - or even an ANZ Championship franchise - would pose, Lees says there is still plenty she can do on the tour to boost her chances of selection for the Sydney tournament.
"Any time you get the opportunity to play for the Silver Ferns you've got to show that you are able to stay accurate, execute well throughout the match and work well in a lot of different combinations," said Lees, who takes up a contract with the Mystics this year after six seasons with the Pulse.
