'We have to get results now': No excuse for Force as they eye Super W finals
Thu, Mar 16, 2023, 12:03 PM
Nathan Williamson
Force inaugurates first semi-professional Super W Academy, paving the way for future female stars
Western Force captain Trilleen Pomare understands the need to deliver as the club looks to lead the way in terms of investment.
The Force have made their intentions clear around the Women's 15-a-side game, introducing the first semi-professional Super W Academy at the start of the month.
It comes as the club extends its major partners across both sides under Claudia Bell, the competition's first female high-performance manager.
“We’re leading the way in terms of programs at the moment and challenge all the other clubs to do the same,” Pomare said to reporters.
“We’re getting paid as part-time employees, we have the only (semi-pro) Academy at the minute outside of a Super W squad. That’s changing the pathways as well as having home games back, little girls can see what they can be. I think that’s the driving force in what we can do.”
However, with that comes expectations for the Force and new coach Matt Hodgson.
The club have not won a game since their Rugby WA days, conceding 146 points in their four defeats last year.
“At the moment we have the resources, we’ve got to win games. It’s as simple as that, we have to get results now," Pomare believes.
“We have all the backing with resources, S & C’s, experienced coaches in the game so there’s no excuses, we have to lift our game.
“…We are a bit of a forgotten state so we’re putting together a program to stop that excuse of being one of those top teams and hopefully we can get results that show that.
“That’s definitely the goal but we don’t want to get too far ahead, we’re focused on round one and we’ve got to perform week-to-week."
Pomare is excited by the addition of a host of stars, headlined by Wallaroo Michaela Leonard and Japanese duo Natsuki Kashiwagi and Yuna Sato.
“I think the coaches have done well with the talent pool we’ve pulled together with a lot of International experience," she believes.
“It’s good to add that flavour into the mix and something different, we’re 90% WA born and bred in the community playing Rugby so it’s good to get those influences and have those girls help us learn about the game more.
“It’s massive for us. We struggle with depth in our forwards. We’ve always had solid backs but our depth in the forwards has been challenging so bringing in a big body like Mac (Leonard) with her physicality as well as the Japanese girls that play a different style of footy over there in that they’re really good around the breakdown and fast around the pitch.”
https://www.rugby.com.au/news/we-hav...finals-2023316
