The first Wallaroos squad of 40 is the biggest squad to date that Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp has selected.
Most of the players who were involved in last season’s Pacific Four Series and WXV2 tour are there. The exceptions obviously are the injuries. Unavailable are backrowers Leilani Nathan, Atasi Lafai, Piper Duck, prop Brianna Hoy and half Samantha Wood. But returning from injury is back rower Emily Chancellor, prop Bree-Anna Browne and hooker Adiana Talakai. Pre-injury, all three were Wallaroos starters.
There appears to be a couple missing from last season; for example, props Allana Sikimeti, Sally Fuesaina and hooker Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke. Also backrower Lucy Dinnen, who did not play Super Rugby Women’s this season.
A few newbies have been introduced to the set-up, such as Brumbies centre Manua Moleka, half Ella Ryan, hooker Katalina Amosa, prop Martha Fua, Queensland’s Zoe Hanna and Tahs enforcer Faliki Pohiva.
From the rugby sevens world, it’s no surprise that Charlotte Caslick is in the squad. More suprising is that Tia Hinds and Bienne Terita are missing the LA Sevens championship to focus on 15s. A statement in Finn Morton’s Rugby Pass article and Mat Rogers’ comments on Stan’s ‘Inside Line’ tossed up some interesting issues around who was actually available for selection. It does seem the planning and execution for incorporating the sevens players into the 15s game has left a bit to be desired.
Jo Yapp. (Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images for Rugby Australia)
The squad of 40 will be cut to 30 for the Fiji Test in Suva being played on May 3. A question naturally arises off the back of this: what team will be selected for the following weekend’s Kiwi Test.
After the Fiji Test, a further six players will be added for the Pacific Four Series, a squad of 36. It is not a surprise in such a big year to have a larger squad. The last two Pacific Four Series in 2024 and 2023 had squads of just 30. Also, it gives the coaching staff an opportunity to see the sevens players on the training park.
So what have we got with this squad?
The most intriguing is the backline selections. So many options and considerations. There are 18 backs in this squad of 40. Usually when it is cut to 30 there are only 11 or 12 backs selected. So six or seven will be cut for the trip to Suva.
Halfback
You would think Layne Morgan and Nat Wright would have first dibs on the starting/bench spots. In a squad of 30, only two halves are usually selected. The third half Ella Ryan had a very good season with the Brumbies. It seems unlikely that she could be squeezed in, even though she has utility value. She can play No.9, 10, 15 and is a goal kicker. Or alternatively, as you know what Morgan and Wright can do, they could give Ryan some game time.
Fly-halves
Last season it was Arabella McKenzie and Faitala Moleka, with Moleka finishing the season as the starting No.10. This season Lori Cramer is in the mix as a goal-kicking 10/15/ utility. Coach Yapp indicated Tia Hinds was being considered more in a decision-maker role, not as an outside back. How do you squeeze four options into two? McKenzie can also play 12.
Centres
The Wallaroo centres have been pretty stock standard for the last couple of years. At 13, Georgina Friedrichs is more than locked in. She has been the Wallaroos 13 in every match over the last two years. Over the same period, 12 has been a mix of either Cecilia Smith or Trilleen Pomare. For the first time, a fourth centre has been selected in 18-year-old Manua Moleka. Yapp has also mentioned Terita may be considered in the centres. Could there be a tweak with the centres selection? Ordinarily, there are three centres in a squad of 30.
Wallaroos’ Maya Stewart and Siokapesi Palu. (Source: Getty Images)
Outside backs
This is way too hard and there are too many options. Last season, a squad of 30 had three wingers and two fullbacks. As far as wingers are concerned, Desiree Miller and Maya Stewart are locks. So the other wing spot could belong to Biola Dawa or Terita. Personally, I would lean towards Terita. As for fullback, Caslick, Caitlyn Halse and Lori Cramer are the choices. Do you take Caslick and Halse with Cramer included as a fly-half? If Cramer is included as a fly-half, does that push out McKenzie or push her to 12? If that happened, Smith or Pomare would not make the cut.
The forwards are a bit more settled.
Hooker
The hooker role would seem to be pretty set with Tania Naden, the incumbent, and back from injury Adiana Talakai. Behind them is Reds hooker Tiarna Molloy; she was 2IC to Naden last season. One surprise is Katalina Amosa, who has leap-frogged Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke, who came off the Wallaroos bench three times last season. To be fair, Amosa started twice for the Brumbies and came off the bench twice. In reality, she shared the hooking role with Naden. Last season’s squad of 30 only had two hookers. It is also handy having Ash Marsters in the squad.
Props
Again no real surprises, except for ACT’s Fua. There are seven in the squad, which will be cut to five or six. Locked in will be Eva Karpani and Bridie O’Gorman – both played every Test last season. At a guess, Bree-Anna Brown will get a run; she started at loosehead pre-injury. After the season Pohiva has had, the star Tah should make the cut. So that leaves one or two to be selected from Fua, Lydia Kavoa and Alapeta Ngauamo.
Faliki Pohiva. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Locks
There are five locks selected in the 40, and last season the WXV2 squad of 30 had four locks. Kaitlan Leaney and Michaela Leonard will make the 30. Assuming four are selected, Ashley Fernandez, Tiarah Minns and Annabelle Codey will be fighting for the other two spots.
Backrow
The backrow would have been a selection nightmare but injuries have made it less complicated. Out of the selection decisions are Duck, Nathan and hybrid Lafau. A couple of youngsters have been selected in Tah Ruby Anderson and Red Zoe Hanna. Returning from injury is Emily Chancellor. Then there’s Ash Marsters, Pesi Palu and Tabua Tuinakauvadra. Those four will likely make up the four backrowers in the match day 23. Based on last season, where six backrowers were selected, all six could retain their spot when the squad is cut to 30. The only proviso to that is Lafau and Nathan could also both play lock. Neither Hannah nor Anderson play lock. So maybe an additional lock is selected and one less backrower.
There’s more than a bit to ponder. Who deserves to make the cut?
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