Inaugural Western Force player Kendra Fell believes the side’s Club-first Super W semi-finals berth has been a long time coming but says there’s a job to do first against the ACT Brumbies.
The Force secured their maiden Buildcorp Super Rugby Women’s finals berth by virtue of the Queensland Reds’ 17-15 win over the Melbourne Rebels. That result meant the fifth-placed Reds couldn’t surpass the third-placed Force due to head-to-head record.
The WA club have come close to finals in the past without success, losing to the Brumbies 45-27 at HBF Park in the final round last year to be squeezed out.
Similarly in 2019, the Force lost 17-12 to the Brumbies at Kingsway in the final round to miss the top-three finals.
There was also the pure heartbreak of the inaugural Super W season in 2018, where Fell scored a try to put the Force up 30-10 against the Queensland Reds in the 55th minute of a game where the winner would make the top-two finals.
But the Reds would rally back with four second-half tries to win 32-30 to secure their spot in the decider.
Cottesloe scrum-half Fell, who played all four games in the maiden 2018 season, said: “I think there’s been some games where we’ve been unlucky and some games where we just missed out.
“I think, to be fair, this has been a long time coming. Just to see the growth of the game evolve over the last few years, I’ve been really honoured to be a part of it for so long.
“I know all the hard work that’s gone into it, to finally get here is something I’m really proud of.”
Fell’s comments refer to the recent investment from the Force in the women’s program, starting a female Academy and becoming the first Super W club to hire a full-time female high performance manager and start player payments.
More recently, the Force have trailblazed by becoming the first Super W club to hire a full-time head coach and sign players on multi-year contracts, along with employing additional support resources like strength and conditioning coaches and physiotherapists around the program to make it a professional environment.
“It’s really exciting,” said 29-year-old Fell, who was a Wallaroos squad member in 2018. “It just shows (what happens) if you put a lot of investment into the women’s game.
“The Force have backed us with multi-year contracts for some players and a lot of the core group is working their way through.
“It shows if you get behind the game, people can improve and results will come. That’s what we’ve shown. I’m proud to be part of the Force and be finals bound for the first time.”
But first the Force have a job to do against the Brumbies on Saturday at Viking Park in Canberra.
There is plenty to play for, despite a semi-finals berth being secured, with the loser guaranteed to finish fourth and face the ladder-leading NSW Waratahs away in the semi-finals.
The winner could still host a semi-final, if they claim a bonus-point and if the Fijian Drua lose without a bonus point. If not, the winner will face the Drua away in the semi-finals.
As a result, Fell and the Force are firmly focused on their first task, knocking over the Brumbies in Canberra.
“We love playing against the Brumbies,” she said. “I think two really strong teams who keep getting better every single season.
“Our games always go neck and neck all the way to the end. It’s going to be a full 80-minhute hit-out.
“We feel positive. There’s still a possibility of getting a home semi, so we’re going to push all the way to try to get the result in our favour. Nothing will change for us.
“We’ll just go with the same gameplan that we’ve been working on, trying to string phases together and get some points on the board and hopefully come away with the win.
“At the end of the day, it just comes down to our NTR, 'no talent required' effort areas. That’s what wins games. Nothing changes for us, we’ve got a job to do.”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 12:35pm WST, with the game live on Stan Sport. There will be regular updates on social media via @WesternForce.
