Fresh from making Super W history alongside Trilleen Pomare as the first players to sign multi-year contracts, Western Force lock Michaela Leonard is excited about where the program is headed.
The Force continue to trailblaze in women’s rugby in Australia, having appointed Super W’s first full-time head coach, Dylan Parsons, in October while earlier last year the club was the first to initiate a semi-professional Super W Academy program.
Canberra-born Leonard headed west from the Brumbies prior to the 2023 season and has reiterated her commitment to the Force by inking the two-year deal, enthused by the club’s investment in the women’s program.
“It’s really exciting,” the 28-year-old Wallaroos lock told Force TV. “Knowing that rugby is going to be part of my life for two years and I have the space and capacity to focus on that right now, move it to the forefront, knowing that I’m going to be part of the Force system for two years.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to see this group continue to develop, you get that continuity and consistency of partnerships on the field and with the coaching staff.
“It’s exciting to bite the bullet, take the first step for hopefully more girls to come for many years with multi-year contracts and growth in our game. I’m really proud and thankful to Hodgo (GM of Rugby Matt Hodgson) and the Western Force for giving me this opportunity. I’m excited to see where the next two years go.”
The Force enjoyed their most successful Super W campaign in 2023, achieving back-to-back wins, winning their first game on home soil and defeating the reigning champions Fijiana Drua before narrowly missing the finals.
Leonard said the club’s further investment could help them continue to break new ground on the field.
“It means so much,” she said. “Last year we saw the Force put their foot forward to lead the women’s space and be innovative to lead in this area of the game.
“We saw that with the introduction of our Women’s Academy which ran following the success of our Super W campaign last year. The investment this year going into a full-time head coach, full-time physio, full-time strength and conditioning, it’s means we get that extra access to those resources.
“As players we’re coming in more frequently now, we’re in for morning sessions during the day, working with the HP staff around the men’s environment as well, which is an opportunity for growth and learning in itself. That extra time, ball in hand, extra access to footage and coaches is just going to make us better in the long run.”
The wider Force squad ramped up pre-season earlier this month ahead of their Super W season opener on Friday March 15 at HBF Park against the Melbourne Rebels.
The week-to-week includes Tuesday and Thursday afternoon/evening sessions, along with Saturday morning sessions, plus Monday work for the ‘Kaizen group’ which Leonard is part of.
“Our Kaizen group is our continuous development,” she said. “That consists of our Super W players, some of our extended squad and girls who have the capacity to be in for those extra hours.
“They get the benefits of on-field clarity, skill, primers, but also get to go through some of that elite sport information, like nutrition, sleep performance, analyst work, which will help us be better athletes.”
Leonard has taken it upon herself to also train with the Force men’s squad on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
“Anyone who knows me, knows I love as much work as I can have and I love to keep learning,” she said. “The opportunity to be around the men’s space and the HP staff came through discussions with myself, Dylan Parsons and Simon Cron, asking for opportunities where I could further my development, get myself out of my comfort zone and learn as much as I can.
“It’s about listening to how they communicate, what they say in huddles and challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone, pick things up from people who’ve been playing the game at an elite level longer than we have.”
It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for Leonard, who also captained the Wallaroos at the WXV tournament in October and November in the absence of Piper Duck. After that, Leonard returned to Perth for barely two days before jetting out to France for a player exchange with club side Montpellier.
“The honour to captain the side leaves me speechless every time I think about it,” Leonard said about the Wallaroos captaincy. “Definitely one of the biggest honours I’ve ever been handed and probably one of my proudest moments.
“I learned so much along those few months. It was an incredible experience. Probably a high point in my life that’ll be tough to beat.
“With the appointment of a full-time head coach in that space now, I’m really excited to see where we go over the next 12-24 months.”
On her time in France, she added: “For me, it was really exciting being part of a new environment. New coaching staff, new style of play, new city and, of course, the language barrier. Learning rugby, getting involved in drills, learning how to play, adjust and communicate, without speaking the language was tough but a really, really fun experience for me.
“I’d say France, compared to how we play in Australia, is more unstructured or free-flowing. As a second rower it was really different, not really being in a lineout set-up, being in the backline, trying to look for offloads, adjusting on the fly to what I was more used to and trying to build that well-rounded game back here in Australia.”
After returning to Australia from France, Leonard enjoyed a week in her hometown Canberra over Christmas, catching up with family and friends, before embarking on the drive across the Nullarbor with her father and Australian shepherd dog Tucker to link up for Force pre-season.
