The Australian netballer Leah Shoard has been named as the 12th member of the Southern Steel for next year's ANZ Championship.
Shoard played for the championship-winning New South Wales Swifts last year and the 22-year-old shooter is a former Australian under-21 representative.
Netball New Zealand rejected the Steel's initial approach to include her but approved a new aplication after the Steel shooter Donna Wilkins gave birth to a baby son by caesarian section last week.
The Steel's chief executive Julie Paterson says they tried again because they were concerned Wilkins wouldn't be ready to play by April 1.
The team is: Daneka Wipiiti, Donna Wilkins, Julianna Naoupu, Leah Shoard, Adine Wilson, Liana Barrett-Chase, Wendy Telfer, Sheryl Scanlan, Erika Burgess, Katrina Grant, Megan Hutton, and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit.
