Newly appointed Silver Ferns coach Janine Southby has made a bold statement with the naming of her first national squad, relegating Malia Paseka and Phoenix Karaka to the development team after the youngsters failed to meet fitness standards.
The athletic pair - Paseka a shooter and Karaka a defender - were bolters in Waimarama Taumaunu's World Cup team in August but have now been dropped altogether from the wider Silver Ferns squad after returning poor results in their fitness testing.
Southby said it was important that she set the tone with her first squad naming and the players know from the outset the standards that are expected of the national team.
"Neither [Paseka or Karaka] have come back in the condition that is required so they have missed out and they understand the reasoning for that. We've given them a programme to work on over the next six weeks and we will be supporting them through that so they can get back to where they need to be," she said.
"It's not just about my expectations, the girls need to expect that of each other. The players need to know that when it comes down to those final few minutes that everyone on court is doing their job and they are not going to have to carry any one."
