As reigning Buildcorp Super W champions there is, and will be all season, a target on the Waratahs backs.
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That's the word of NSW back-rower Grace Hamilton, but the Panuara star says her outfit will embrace the pressure that brings as they go in search of back-to-back titles.
That bid to hoist the trophy again officially begins this weekend at Canberra's GIO Stadium when the Waratahs face the ACT Brumbies in the first of Saturday night's two games in the nation's capital, the Super W clash is followed by the Brumbies-Chiefs Super Rugby match-up.
Individually the Waratahs boast more star power than any of the other sides too, with NSW's rivals no doubt gunning to take down a number of the sky blues on an individual front as well.
Being one of the side's Wallaroos Hamilton's one of them, but she knows that, she's used to it by now too.
"There's always targets on our back and especially some of the players in our team, so for us, it's about building that as a collective and as a team," she said, speaking to thewomensgame.com.
"We want to go back-to-back, so hopefully we can do it"
Saturday's clash was set to pit Hamilton against another Central West product in Orange Emus halfback Em McDonald, however the up-and-coming half was left out of the Brumbies' 23-strong squad.
There's always targets on our back.
- Waratahs back-rower Grace Hamilton
In her first season with the Brumbies, McDonald will continue to bide her time and look to impress on the training paddock ahead of a potential debut, with Jane Garraway to wear the No.9 jersey on Saturday and fellow incumbent Remi Wilton named on the bench as a replacement half.
The Waratahs will start Saturday's competition-opener as almost unbackable favourites considering they hammered the Brumbies by 67 points in a trial at Bowral not long ago, but the ACT outfit is a far more polished outfit now.
Their performance in their second and final pre-season clash was testament to that, the Brumbies scoring an 18-5 victory over the Melbourne Rebels at Albury's Greenfield Park.
They looked wide in that clash with ball in hand, and new coach Adam Butt says his troops will continue to do that as they look to build on last season, in which they scored a lone victory.
“The women’s game has usually been tight, we’d like to see it go a bit wider and the girls are embracing it," he told rugby.com.au.
“It does spread you in defence and it makes you work a bit harder but they’re all ready for that."
The clash kicks off at 5pm at GIO Stadium.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
