The newlook Silver Ferns are preaching patience, after their disjointed performance against England on Saturday.
While plenty of fingers have been pointed at the side's shooters during the 52-39 loss to England, veteran Maria Folau insists that they simply had a "bad day at the office".
"I'll be the first one to put my hand up," Folau told Newshub. "I pride myself on turning and shooting, and - not just myself, but the rest of us - didn’t perform like we wanted to.
"But I'm not slitting my wrists in the room or anything, and neither are the other shooters."
The "promising" changes set in motion by new coaching duo Noeline Taurua and assistant Deb Fuller are still in their infancy, and with just five days together as a group, the teething problems were understandable, said Folau.
"[They] have come in with such great ideas - ones that we've been wanting for such a long time. Just seeing the game in a different way, which has been really promising for us.
"The expectations are always very high in our camp, but we've also got to be realistic as well – we've got a new coach, new assistant coach and brand new players on our team
"When we find our feet, we'll be humming."
Coach Taurua echoed those sentiments, adding that it would take some time before their new systems are fully integrated and their players are operating efficiently within them.
"I think it will take a very long time, to be honest," said Taurua.
"We've got this Quad Series, as well as the Constellation Cup, where we'll be assessing players. The difficult thing for them is that they're being assessed in real time.
"There's the saying that you're as good as your last game and our last game needs improvement, but also it's a start for us - working out how I roll, what strategies are, and what happens on and off the court, and the new combinations forming.
"It's not an excuse, it's just how it is."
At this stage, the team's focus is more centred on improvement, rather than results.
"We need to improve," said Taurua, when quizzed on the presence of any extra pressure, after the disappointments of Auckland.
"There's key areas that we highlighted in our game against England… obviously the shooting area is one end, but also our connections need to be better - not putting each other under pressure, and knowing that we can reset and go again.
"Possession of the ball is key for us - taking the ball from one end to the other."
They'll face another stern test against Norma Plummer's South Africa in Tauranga on Tuesday.
"They're very tenacious, but they keep the ball in hand and they've got beautiful shooters as well,” said Taurua.
"They're very simple, but their simplicity is what makes them such a good team, so I'm expecting a great performance from them."
Newshub.
