The Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade is set to enter its ninth round this weekend.
After forfeiting last weekend’s game against Palmyra due to injuries, Wests Warriors are looking to come back strong this weekend in their game against Wanneroo.
With a solid 26-38 victory over Cottesloe two weeks ago, Wests are proving to be a potential thorn in the side for the top two teams, a potential contender for the finals as with just six rounds to go.
"Unfortunately, last weekend we had to forfeit so hopefully we perform a bit better this weekend!” Wests Warriors Coach, Jamie Loyd, shared.
“As far as our last game, we had a good win against a courageous Cottesloe side. I think as a coaching staff we are just keen to see an 80-minute performance from the Ladies.”
“We adapted well against Cottesloe in some fast-changing conditions, but we also were not quite playing to our full potential in the first half and the Ladies acknowledged that after the game.”
“We will be better for the experience and hopefully it will help us going up against the ladder leaders this weekend.”
Top-of-the-ladder Wanneroo Divaz had a tough battle last weekend, defeating Kalamunda Kweenz by just one point in their NAIDOC Round showdown.
It was conversions from Libya Teepa that kept Kalamunda afloat, completing three conversions to Wanneroo’s one. However, Wanneroo’s one try over Kalamunda scraped them through for the win. Tries for Wanneroo were scored by Cass Kaisia, Topz-Jean Porter (2), Ai Dickson and Majesty Pomare, with a conversion from Zarna Munro. Tries for Kalamunda were scored by Charli Stevenson, Mahiti Heke, Braxton Walker and Mariah Bell.
Facing Wanneroo will be a challenge for Wests, who are ready to tackle the big side.
“Wanneroo Divaz are always challenging because of their depth and their rugby IQ,” Loyd said.
“They are an impressive squad, and their coaching staff are really effective at getting the best out of their players from what I have seen of their games this season. Even when they lose players, they have the depth and quality to reload and still win tight games.”
“On the field I think matching their forward pack will be our biggest challenge and making sure we stay calm under pressure in our own half.”
Despite their next match being against some tough competition, Loyd shared that returning players are set to add to their capacity as a team.
“I think our biggest strength may well be the experience and calibre of players we have returning this weekend and over the next few weeks!”
“As far as specifics, we are lucky that we have quite a balanced squad even with injuries, so our team can adapt to what is needed in the game, we rely heavily on our forwards giving us the platform and go forward to get some of our speed out wide into the game.”
“Heading into this round I would like to see us really focus on our NTRs (No Talent Required) areas, these are our effort areas where we don’t need to be skillful, we just need to make sure we are working as hard as we can.”
“Areas like getting set early in defense and attack or making sure we are chasing our own kicks are crucial to winning any game and, in the past, have been the difference between us winning and losing.”
Kick off for the Wanneroo Divaz v. Wests Warriors showdown is set for 2:00PM this Saturday at Kingsway Sports Complex.
This weekend the Community X’s will see a Southern derby, with Rockingham coming up against Mandurah at Lark Hill Sporting Complex.
The last time the two sides met, the score ended in a 17-17 draw.
Last weekend, Rockingham came up against Southern Lions, finishing with a 25-34 victory over the side. For Mandurah, it was a 34-22 loss to Wanneroo at their NAIDOC Round festivities at Kingsway Sports Complex.
This weekend, Wanneroo and Southern Lions are set to go head-to-head.
This week is NAIDOC Week throughout Australia. The theme for NAIDOC Week 2024 is 'Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.' This year's theme celebrates the unyielding spirit of our communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced.
At Wests Warriors, cultural diversity plays a significant role in the strength and talents of their Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade side.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have a really diverse team,” Loyd shared. “... We have ladies from England, Scotland, Australia, Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji and even a Japanese lumberjack!”
“Celebration of diversity is crucial in anything we do, but particularly in sport. I am a firm believer that people need to see what they can be and will therefore try to be what they can see.”
An event like NAIDOC Week ensures we are celebrating the First Nations people of this country but also makes it clear that rugby is a safe space for them to come and enjoy themselves and bond with a whole range of other diverse people all of whom call the traditional lands of Australia home.”
“We were lucky enough to have Renae Nona playing for us for the first half of the season before she headed off to play pro rugby in the USA. Renae is a proud Torres Strait woman who was - and will be again - a phenomenal player for us. She always wears a head gear with an Indigenous flag braid tied to it to represent her people and her culture.”
“Rugby needs to do more to attract First Nations players to the sport, but when we have representatives like Renae or Mahalia Murphy in the women’s game, I truly believe we are allowing young Indigenous and Torres Strait islander girls and women to see what they can be.”
With Fortescue NAIDOC Round kicking off last Saturday, the celebrations still continue in clubland as NAIDOC Week comes to an end this weekend.
In reflection of NAIDOC Round last weekend, Loyd shared that Nona found the opportunity to be incredible.
“I will take my cue from Renae here as I reached out to ask what her thoughts were: ‘...It’s bloody awesome RugbyWA is doing a NAIDOC Round, it is so cool they are having this and doing this for NAIDOC Round.’”
“The simple fact is the more we can reach out and educate people in places like sports clubs about the importance of diversity and inclusion of First Nations peoples in their sports, the better our sports will become.”
“We have seen that codes that focus on including their Indigenous groups such as New Zealand or South Africa have reaped huge benefits across all elements of their sport.”
RugbyWA would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we operate, and pay our respects to Elders Past, Present and Future. RugbyWA is located on Noongar land, and has affiliated clubs across Whadjuk, Pinjarup, Wardandi, Bibbulman, Minang, Kaniyang, Wugjari, Amangu and Wangkathaa lands.
RugbyWA's First Nations Resources page offers resources for members of the community, as well as for clubs who wish to build upon their support systems. The page can be accessed through wa.rugby/club-support/reconciliation.
Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade Round 9 Fixtures
Kalamunda Kweenz v. UWA @ Hartfield Reserve, 12:30PM
Wanneroo Divaz v. Wests Warriors @ Kingsway Sports Complex, 2:00PM
Palmyra v. Cottesloe Shegulls @ Tompkins Park, 2:00PM
Community X’s Round 9 Fixtures
Perth Bayswater v. Wests @ Pat O’Hara Reserve, 1:50PM
Rockingham v. Mandurah Pirates @ Lark Hill Sporting Complex, 1:50PM
Wanneroo v. Southern Lions @ Kingsway Sports Complex, 3:10PM
Palmyra/UWA v. Perth Irish @ Tompkins Park, 3:30PM
