KEY POINTS:
In a hotel room in London's Earl's Court, Temepara George was dreaming of sabotage. Her target: room-mate Irene van Dyk.
Instead of feeding her the ball, George was imagining slipping her Silver Ferns teammate a few diuretics; van Dyk's taunting of who would win the battle of the
Magic and the Force had become almost too much.
"We joked about it a lot at night," George laughs. "How we were Silver Ferns room-mates one day, then playing against each other when we got home. It's so funny."
It's one of those intriguing twists of international sport. A week ago, George and van Dyk were in England together, under the spotlight for their on-court link for the Ferns - high expectations of the shrewd little midcourter delivering ball flawlessly to the most precise shooter on the globe.
On Sunday, that camaraderie will be tossed out the hotel window, as George captains the Force against van Dyk's Magic, in one of the most anticipated clashes of this season's National Bank Cup.
It's a big ask for the Silver Ferns - who flew home from England on Monday still smarting from losses to England and Australia - to switch on the skill again for their franchises as the NBC reaches the dash for semifinal spots.
But George, the Silver Ferns vice-captain, couldn't think of anything more satisfying.
After 48 hours spent resetting her body clock, she was back training on Wednesday - and loving it. "It was quite refreshing, actually," she says.
"I'm really looking forward to this game. The Magic are a different team, they pose different questions. But I think we're ready to get back into it again."
It's that all-guns-blazing outlook that makes George the player others fear and admire.
Her long-time coach, Yvonne Willering, says her intensity flows through the Force.
While coaches know never to rely on a single player, Willering knows George's presence on court can make the difference to her team.
"Your shooters will always inspire you when the shots are going in. But Temepara's drive through the court and her never-give-up attitude inspires the team too," Willering says.
"She's probably more controlled these days. She's always had enthusiasm and passion - but she's got more clever with it.
"She leads in a more non-verbal way, by example - she expects people to do as she does."
That explains why 31-year-old George, a youth ambassador for Netball New Zealand, is a demanding taskmaster of herself.
She admits she has come home "deflated" after the Britain tri-series; disappointed not only with the defeats, but her own uncharacteristic shortcomings - in particular, feeding the Silver Ferns shooters.
"A lot of my passes weren't hitting the target. Some of them were really dismal, and I was really disappointed in that," she says.
"I know I can do much better.
"I was forcing the ball in to Irene. She got a lot of flak, but it's a team of seven out there, and we're all accountable. We had a couple of training sessions together beforehand, so there's really no excuse.
"But I know now that I needed to work more on my passing to certain players in training."
George is sure it is a wrong that can be righted long before the Silver Ferns defend their world championship title in November.
"You can't dwell on it - you've got to move on and learn from it. What we did wrong were little things - and the margins show that," she says.
"I don't think we've got big steps to make. We will have better links through court once we have more time together. We'll be making passes to our players - not the opposition.
"It will make the July series against Jamaica and Australia really interesting."
But there are more pressing matters at hand: spending time with her two children, finishing house renovations that have hung over her for years, and trying to win her first National Bank Cup in her last opportunity before the trophy is retired.
With two rounds remaining, the Force share top rung of the ladder with the Sting.
While their place in the semis is virtually guaranteed a win over the Magic in Auckland on Sunday and then the Shakers next weekend would seal the Northerners a berth in the major semifinal. George feels the Force's chances of taking the title this time are much greater - with a new all-round strength in a team that has finished third three seasons running.
"The difference this year is that no matter who's on court, in what combination, we are always really strong," she says.
"That's what Yvonne wanted, a strong 12, and she's got it.
"We worked on it pre-season - giving everyone equal game time, so when players on the bench get an opportunity, they grab it."
While George, Leana de Bruin and Sheryl Scanlan were in Britain, other Force players took the opportunity to return home - Vilimaina Davu went back to coach the Fijian side, Megan Dehn went home to family in Australia and Catherine Latu trained with Samoa for the world championships.
To maintain momentum, Willering kept the rest of the team training, and playing games against the visiting Singapore side she has helped coach.
"When we're not there, the other players step up, which is great for them, getting confidence without us," George says.
"But sometimes you think, are we going to be playing when we come back - do they even need me?"
Willering, for one, would robustly answer in the affirmative.
