It's rare to see Maria Folau at Northern Mystics training these days.
She's the poster girl of New Zealand netball, but you won't see much of her through the ANZ Premiership either.
Now that Folau is based out of Sydney with husband Israel, Netball New Zealand has made a strange arrangement with its star player to keep her eligible for the black dress.
To skirt around those rules, she must play a minimum three games for the Mystics this season.
One of those - this week's loss to the Mainland Tactix - saw Folau come off the bench seven minutes into the second quarter.
"It was quite weird passing the ball around with some of the girls, some of them I've never met before," admits Folau.
Not wanting to follow Laura Langman to an Aussie franchise, she admits this was the only option to remain a Silver Fern.
"It was always going to be a really hard decision - what was I going to give up?"
Her team seem bemused, but determined to make the situation work for everyone.
'It is a very special arrangement," says former Silver Fern teammate Anna Harrison. "I'm not sure how often you'll see it, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it."
Says coach Helene Wilson: "I've been very transparent in the way that we manage Maria.
"The girls were all part of the decision-making. They all respect Maria and like having Maria in the team."
In the meantime, Folau watches games from home, and provides advice and feedback via social media.
"That mentoring role is really key for me," she says. "I'm not going to be a Mystic forever and my body is getting old, so I'd love to leave the Mystics in a really good state.
It's a new move that Netball New Zealand hopes will retain key players and make amends for their recent record.
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