Fijian-NSW Waratahs lock-forward Sera Naiqama feels there is a huge competition for jerseys within the Wallaroos squad ahead of their match against Wales in the Women’s XV1 on Friday.
Naiqama said selection battle looms in the Aussie women’s squad as most of the senior players are returning to the team after a short injury break.
The 28-year-old revealed she is also facing fierce competition with the likes of Annabelle Codey and Atasi Lafai fighting for a locking berth while NSW Waratahs pair Leilani Nathan and Kaitlan Leaney can also cover the second row.
“Any jersey for me is such a privilege but to earn a starting jersey, I knew I needed to deliver the goods and looking at the forward pack we had, I had so much belief in the girls around me,” Naiqama told Media on Monday.
“You always want to put your best foot forward to try and stay in that 23 and I felt as though I owed it to the girls who didn’t make the 23.”
“I’m really proud of the performance I put out there but again that was complimented by what the team did.”
“The fact that we were able to produce such a strong result is something that will forever stay with me. It’s genuinely one of my proudest moments in the jersey.”
Naiqama produced arguably her best performance in a gold jersey last week – 22 carries, 10 tackles, two lineout wins and a breakdown steal in just 62 minutes – and will likely reprise her locking partnership with captain Michaela Leonard against Wales this week.
“We have the best players in the country here and we’re competing against each other every single day. What everyone saw under the roof last weekend is the result of what happens in training.”
“It wasn’t easy, it was a really tough week of training but it showed and we’re so proud of ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Wallaroos mentor Jay Tregonning will announce his 23-player squad tomorrow for the Wales clash which will kick start at 7pm at Mt Smart Stadium on Friday.
