Gooden happy to be Magpies netballer

Replacement shooter Samantha Gooden is happy to fly under the radar of opposition Super Netball coaches as she looks to build on a sparkling surprise debut for Collingwood.

The Australian U21 squad member was called up for the Magpies' opening round derby loss to the Melbourne Vixens last weekend out of the club's training partner pool as a temporary replacement for injured Cody Lange (ACL).

She made the most of her chance, showing determination and skill as she netted five goals from seven attempts in a little over a quarter on court.

However, more of the same could see her value rise as a quality replacement shooter - for any team in the competition.

Gooden knows she could be snapped up for a season-ending injury elsewhere. But she's keen to stay at Collingwood, for now.

"When we came in as training partners, we knew what could happen," Gooden said.

"I absolutely love Collingwood, I couldn't fault it in any way.

"We get to train with the likes of Caitlin Thwaites and Sharni Layten, you just learn so much."

With teams cut from 12 to 10 contracted players in the new competition, injuries are likely to ensure there are more opportunities for training partners waiting in the wings of Super Netball.

It was quite a journey for Gooden who believed she had initially missed selection when the Collingwood squad was named.

She also had to overcome the death of her grandfather last week to take her place in the side, which wore black armbands to pay their respects.

"I was pretty happy with how I went. As soon as I got the first goal in, I just took a deep breath and thought 'it's ok, the first one's gone in!'," she said.

"I just tried to stay in the moment every time and just play netball and not think too much about it."

The Magpies take on the Queensland Firebirds on Saturday with both sides searching for their first win of the season.