RugbyWA Women return to Wanneroo for pivotal clash against the Brumbies Women

Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 6:30 AM
Rugby WA Media
by Rugby WA Media
Members of Rugby WA's Super W squad from north Perth's Wanneroo Rugby Union Club; (left to right) Caitlin Burt Poloai, Zakiya Kereopa, Tui Cope, Sera Ah-Sam and Taylor Waterson. Photo: Rugby AU Media/Stuart Walmsley
Members of Rugby WA's Super W squad from north Perth's Wanneroo Rugby Union Club; (left to right) Caitlin Burt Poloai, Zakiya Kereopa, Tui Cope, Sera Ah-Sam and Taylor Waterson. Photo: Rugby AU Media/Stuart Walmsley

After a disappointing loss against the NSW Waratahs last Sunday the RugbyWA Women will return to Kingsway Reserve for the second year in a row to face the ACT Brumbies Women.

The last time our Women set foot onto Kingsway Reserve they fell to Queensland in a heartbreaking two-point loss that saw the team drop out of finals contention.

Taking place at the historical Wanneroo Districts Rugby Union Football Club a number of players hold this field close to their heart playing for the club themselves or even having kids who play for the mighty ‘Roo Dogs’.

Wanneroo Prop Sera ah Sam expressed her excitement for the match, explaining how she aims to make her kids proud.

“I’m feeling great at the moment this is my first game in the starting lineup and it’s at my home ground it really couldn’t have turned out better.”

“I’m super stoked to be playing at my home club again, Wanneroo is such an amazing club both my kids are juniors there, I’ve been there a long time and I am very loyal to the club, I absolutely love it.”

“I can’t wait for the community season to start back up again, I want to go out there and just be an inspiration to all the young one’s at Wanneroo, especially with my kids playing, being a role model to them is my number one goal.”

“The experience this season has been a tough ride but all in all it has been worth it, I’m honored to have represented my state at a national level.” Along with Sera, four other players in the RugbyWA Women’s team will be feeling at home on Sunday, hailing from Wanneroo Rugby Club.

Young gun Zakiya Kereopa returns to her home ground from an ankle injury she sustained in round three.

Prop Brooke Mason will also be representing the “Roo Dogs” on the weekend, Mason has played outstanding this season scoring two tries against the Melbourne Rebels in round three.

Joining them will be young star Taylor Waterson and experienced veteran Tui Cope rounding off a great selection coming out of the north.

The stakes are high come Sunday as a win is required to secure the RugbyWA Women a place in the semi-final under Rugby Australia’s new finals structure for the Super W competition.

Head Coach Shannon Symon has made a number of changes to his starting lineup bringing in some fresh faces that excelled in the second half of last weekend’s match.

“The new girls brought another level of energy. We needed to make some changes to refresh our forwards so I’m hoping they bring the same level of energy running out to start.”

“There are a lot of younger girls coming through especially who are under 18 that I feel will handle and exceed all expectation in years to come and that makes me excited for our future teams.”

“We know we have a big game approaching it could be our last, we’ve tried to manage the girls carefully with a lot of de-loading, sending them back to their families and just reminding them that this is a part time program so it has been tough on them.”

Kicking off at 2:00 pm RugbyWA and The City of Wanneroo have come together to put on a show for the second ever Super W match at Kingsway Reserve.

The RugbyWA Development Officers will host a RugbyRoos clinic prior to the match starting at 1:00 pm for all ages to come down and have some fun with the Future Force Academy Players.

There will be food trucks, face painting and a bouncing castle, all kindly provided by the City of Wanneroo. The Rugby Club will have the bar open and a barbeque running to fundraise for the refurbishment of the of the clubhouse.

For rugby lovers the club will be hosting a U17s trial match against Kalamunda rugby club taking place directly after the game offering a brilliant opportunity to see the future of community rugby in our state.

All the long hours and hard trainings the RugbyWA Women have been through all comes down to this match and with so much on the line this hit out won’t be one to miss.

The RugbyWA will take on the Brumbies Women at Kingsway Reserve, Wanneroo on Sunday March 24th, kicking off at 2:00pm local, AWST, LIVE on RUGBY.com.au and Kayo Sports.

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