The Western Force is excited to announce that the winning team for the annual women’s pathway series will receive the newly named Pomare Shield in honour of Wallaroos, Force and WA rugby legend Trilleen Pomare.
The Pomare Shield will be presented to the winning team following North vs South Women’s Series decider to be played on Saturday at Wanneroo Rugby Union Club.
The naming of the Shield honours Pomare who recently announced her retirement from international rugby following an outstanding Wallaroos career that included participating at three World Cups and earning 43 caps, the second most in Wallaroos history.
Pomare is a foundation Force player dating back to the maiden Super W season in 2018. She has earned the most Super W caps in Force history (32 caps), captained the side for five straight seasons and won the Club’s Rebecca Clough medal in 2025.
She is also a trail-blazer and passionate force within WA rugby, featuring for Wanneroo and Kalamunda at Fortescue Premier Grade level.
Force female high performance pathways manager Claudia Bell said: “On the back of Trilleen announcing her Wallaroos retirement, we wanted to pay homage to her.
“She is the second most capped Wallaroos player, a foundation Force player and long-term captain and an integral part of the WA rugby community for so many years.
“There’s no one more befitting than Trilleen who has put WA women’s rugby on the map.”
The naming of the Pomare Shield comes amid the success of the inaugural North vs South Women’s Series. The series has seen a wider group of 60 players out of WA women’s club rugby training for the past two months in the two squads.
The series is geared towards identifying and developing the top female talent across WA, providing meaningful and high-quality match opportunities with a view to transitioning into the Force’s Super Rugby Women’s squad.
The creation of the Pomare Shield is a sign of the Force’s commitment to WA women’s pathways through the series and Bell said that she hoped it would evolve over time.
“This pathways series is intended to be an annual event, leaving room for growth and expansion,” she said.
The Shield features the Maali (black swan) which is the symbol of the state, the Force, WA rugby and also the ‘Maali DNA’ which is part of the values of the Force Super W squad embodied by inspiring the next generation of future Force players.
