Western Force coach Dylan Parsons is confident his new look, packed with new combinations, can click in Saturday's SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s season opener against the ACT Brumbies at HBF Park.
Parsons has unveiled 10 club debutants, including five Wallaroos, with six of the new faces in the starting line-up.
The game is part of a double-header before the Force clash in their third round Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Queensland Reds.
The W side is looking to go one further after last year's maiden finals berth where they pushed Fijian Drua to the brink in the semi-final.
Plenty of new players were on the three-game Japan tour last year and Parsons is "pretty happy" with the new combinations saying there is total focus on the title.
"There's been a lot of time spent together, there's been game time spent together," Parsons said.
"I'm pretty happy with the combinations that we've been able to build, pretty confident around our cohesion.
"We've put it out there (lifting the trophy) and that's a big target for the group.
"The group's an ambitious group and ambitions drive the desire to be the best they can be.
"We're still a team that's been building, so for me it's confidence in the group.
"We've had a history where maybe we haven't been up near the top. Now we are.
"We deserve to be here. All the hard work is putting ourselves in that position to be one of the top teams in the competition.
"The strength of the squad, the depth of the squad, puts us in a position that if things change in the season because of injuries or unavailability, we have players ready to step up.
"The confidence and belief is there, after last year.
"The next step to get into a final."
Parsons said players would be looking at higher honours and that all sides were stronger since the demise of the Melbourne Rebels and the switch from 7s by some players.
"There's a lot of good things they can look forward too being a World cup year," he said.
"They perform really well in Super W and have a really good year they put their hands up for higher honours.
"It drives that desire to be better and from there it puts us in a good spot to have a really good crack at this competition.
"We've definitely seen that across all teams the squads are stronger (without the Rebels).
"Ours is definitely stronger because of it.
"The addition of 7s players, going across to other franchises, just makes it stronger again.
"We're up for that challenge."
The Force Maali (black swan) culture played an important role in the heavy off-season recruitment.
"The first thing we talk to potential players about is our Maali way, our Maali DNA, our culture piece," Parsons said.
"When I first came into this group I thought it was really important to identify who we are and what our identity is.
"We identified it with the playing group.
"At interviews it was spoken about first before we got to any of the rugby.
"A big part of that is lighting the fire around our community and our young ones coming in.
"Also, anyone that has big aspirations from anywhere else in the world to be the best they can be, that ties into our Maali way - a team that drive ourselves and that's a pretty cool work ethic.
"It's what WA's been built on through our mining industry and through other things (where) a lot of people come here to better themselves and better their lives.
"It's no different for our playing group."
SMARTECH Super Rugby Women's Round 1
Western Force vs ACT Brumbies
Saturday 1 March, 2:05pm WST HBF Park
Live on 9GEM and Stan Sport
Tickets via Ticketmaster
