Silver Ferns skipper Katrina Grant and England shooter Jo Harten offer a remarkably similar assessment of each other going into Sunday's second Test at Napier's Pettigrew Green Arena.
The pair have locked horns numerous times over the years, both for their respective countries and at club level in the trans-Tasman league.
There's plenty of mutual respect on both sides, and an enduring steely determination not to take a backward step.
"Jo's very crafty, and she'll do anything to win," Grant said.
"When she gets in the zone, she wants the ball and she wants to shoot it. She just wants to play for her country."
The 28-year-old English sharpshooter sees similar qualities in Grant, who is just two Tests shy of earning 100 caps for her country.
"She's always been that mongrel on court - she's always been the one that will put her body on the line and will always match up in a really tough contest," Harten told NZ Newswire.
"She's the experienced one in their defensive end, so she's going to be the mainstay."
The battle of wits between Harten and Grant could prove crucial in Sunday's mid-afternoon Test, as England look to level the three-Test series for the Taini Jamison Trophy.
The New Zealanders drew first blood on Thursday, a powerful last-quarter surge giving them a 62-55 win in Wellington.
But England are still buoyed by the recent memory of their 49-45 defeat of the Kiwis 10 days ago in the Quad Series - just the fifth time they've won in 89 Tests against the Silver Ferns.
Harten, playing a full 60 minutes with young goal attack Helen Housby for the first time in Wellington, says the Roses fell off in the last 15 minutes after matching the Kiwis goal for goal in the first three quarters.
"It was just finishing off in the last five minutes, just executing under pressure," she said.
"We've looked at some of the mistakes we made, not just in the last quarter but throughout the game.
"It's about finishing off when we do get ball in the first, second and third quarters so we're not leaving it to a scramble in the last."