Silver Ferns' coach Dame Noeline Taurua will hold off picking a stand-in captain as long as she can with Auckland players in limbo ahead of next week's series against England.
The New Zealand coach has brought in three development squad members as cover for the three Test series, and there's a good chance she'll have to pick a new captain.
The Silver Ferns are assembling in Christchurch today to prepare for the first test on Monday.
However, missing are captain Gina Crampton, vice captain Sulu Fitzpatrick, Peta Toeava and Grace Nweke, who remain locked down in Auckland.
Silver Ferns captain Gina Crampton is one of Silver Fern players locked down in Auckland. Photo: Photosport
Netball New Zealand has sought exemptions from the Ministry of Health for them to travel south but is still awaiting a response.
In the event that they don't, defenders Georgia Tong (Magic) and Paris Lokotui (Pulse) are joining the team today, along with midcourter Kimiora Poi (Tactix).
The trio will remain with the side for the Taini Jamison Trophy series as part of an extended squad, even if the Auckland players are granted a travel dispensation.
Dame Noeline said it was important to cover their bases.
"Really happy in our shooting end we've got plenty of stocks, which is a blessing, so we can cover in that end," Dame Noeline said.
"With Peta and Gina both specialist wing attacks, that means we're a bit light in that position and obviously Sulu as well not being able to join us at this stage, so hence going with two extra defenders to bolster up stocks.
"In a weird way I'm quite happy and quite excited by what these players are going to do and just the extension of the squad."
Lokotui spent most of the ANZ Premiership playing at wing defence, but the 19-year-old will provide back up in the defensive circle for the Test series.
"I've also seen her I think it might have been one game against Steel in the goal defence position so I'm looking at her in the goal defence position to cover to get us a bit more stability in circle defence area, with Georgia backing up in the goal keep position."
Dame Noeline Taurua. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Uncapped players Lokotui and Tong were taken aback when they got the call up.
"One of excitement, anxiousness and a bit of freak out if I'm going to be honest. They are new to the scene of ANZ let alone to the Silver Ferns' development squad and now they've been elevated possibly on the bench or starting with the Silver Ferns so it has been a massive rise for them.
"...Press the go button probably sooner than we've all expected. In saying that I'm really confident by what they can do and our strategies and I feel the skill sets they possess will work well with what I want on court."
Dame Noeline said they haven't been give a timeframe on when the four Auckland based players will find out if they've been granted an exemption.
"We're in the same boat as general society of wanting to get the exemptions approved. We're not asking for any preferential treatment or anything like that and realise where New Zealand is at and willing to wait on the list as everybody else."
Having only just named a new captain and vice captain two weeks ago, the Silver Ferns' coach faces the prospect of having to pick new leaders for the series.
"That's probably the step that I haven't actually gone to in my head as yet, I'm sort of thinking that we take one day at a time.
"We did a handover from our leadership group last night, that's Jane [Watson] and Gina, Sulu and also Ameliaranne [Ekenasio].
"When it gets closer to the Test match or we have to go into the position of re-appointing a captain and vice captain we will ...but also hoping that the Auckland crew can join us."
The Magic's Georgia Tong is one of three development players added to the Silver Ferns. Photo: Photosport
Dame Noeline said even if the quartet get approval to travel as late as next week, they will still come down.
She said they would have to be careful about loading, given those players have been in lockdown.
"If I can still get them out on court even if it is limited that's my aim. I would have to wait and see as to physically if they are capable of taking the loads in training, let alone in the game.
"These opportunities don't come around very often ...we're not too sure what's going to go ahead as we lead into the Commonwealth Games. So we've got to make sure that we can take these opportunities when they do present."
The Silver Ferns' training camp had to be scrapped last week but as soon as the regions outside of Auckland dropped down to Level 2, they resumed their conditioning and skills' sessions.
"Majority of them had two cluster trainings over the short period of time, and we've been able to do what we can with strategy over Zoom."
She said they would still have to be mindful of loading, while the Roses have been able to train together since leaving MIQ on the 10th of September.
She said the world number three ranked side will present a huge challenge.
"There's massive test caps, a lot of experience in the England team ...we are behind them a wee bit [with training] but I'm really excited and I know the players are, it's a great challenge for us.
"We've been working quite a bit to ensure we're as good as we can as we enter into that first test ...it's good for us to be in these types of situations and make sure we've got everything ticked off."
Three Auckland based support staff are also waiting to see if they can get exemptions to travel to Christchurch - the Silver Ferns' physio, their strength and conditioning coach, and long-time manager Esther Molloy.
The three Tests are being played in Christchurch.
- RNZ
