Trilleen Pomare will be joined by Samantha Wood for the first time as Western Force co-captains for the 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby Women’s season.
The Force’s Super W squad held a player vote for the captaincy and leadership roles last week, confirming the roles ahead of the side’s pre-season trial games and the season proper which starts away to the Fijian Drua on Saturday 13 June.
Pomare has captained the Force for the past six seasons dating back to 2021, with 21-year-old Wallaroos scrum-half Wood joining her for the first time.
ARKS junior Wood missed all of last Super W season due to injury but her influence around the group remained strong, which has led to her ascendancy to the co-captaincy.
Wood won the Force’s Rebecca Clough medal in 2024 after a breakout campaign that led to her Wallaroos debut in May that year. She’s since appeared at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The scrum-half’s resilience was underlined by her determination to make last year’s World Cup squad after missing the 2025 Super W season with back and shoulder injuries.
Pomare’s history with the Force dates back to playing in the inaugural Super W season in 2018. The 33-year-old inside-centre has tallied a club-record 32 caps with six tries.
She won her first Rebecca Clough medal in 2025, before retiring from international rugby following the World Cup last year. Pomare notched up 43 caps for the Wallaroos where she played at three World Cups, debuting internationally in 2017.
Force Super W head coach Dylan Parsons said: “Going through a voting system, it shows how much Trills is still valued and respected in the group. It’s a good sign of the influence she has.
“She has experience in the role and the trust of the players. Her presence is so important to how we perform.
“The vote of Sammy as co-captain shows the progression of where we’re heading. The group has huge respect for Trills and they can see the freshness of Sammy and what she can bring. They’ll complement each other well.
“Sammy’s a mature soul. She’s a student of the game who loves it and that shows through her understanding to communicate and deliver the right messages at the right time.
“She's grown from adversity and is full of gratitude to simply play the game she loves. She gained a lot from her World Cup experience, starting every game she played and became a leader in that group within a short amount of time, which shows the respect at national level and it was only a matter of time before that translated at club level.”
Pomare and Wood will be supported by Wallaroos record-breaker Michaela Leonard as vice-captain.
Leonard, who was part of the Force’s leadership group last year, recently became the most capped player in Wallaroos history and previously skippered Australia. The 31-year-old lock has clocked up 15 caps since moving to the Force ahead of the 2023 season.
Parsons said: “Mac’s experience speaks for itself with everything she’s done for the national team. She’s been with us for four seasons and she’s a Perth girl now, she’s one of our own.
“She’s so respected as shown by the vote. She sets high standards in how she conducts herself and prepares. She is a great role model and shows daily how to be a professional rugby player. Mac complements Sammy and Trill very well as leaders.”
The Force also voted in a six-player leadership group, featuring experience with prop Alapeta Ngauamo, hooker Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke and back-rower Anneka Stephens, the former two whom both have played for the Wallaroos.
There’s also a layer of emerging leaders with recent Wallaroos debutant Nicole Ledington, midfielder Ngamihi Monk and prop Hannah Palelei.
Parsons said: “It’s a bigger group but there’s a mix of young, emerging and experienced, respected players within the squad.
“We see this larger group as an opportunity to listen to the squad and who they wanted. It’s great to have diversity in our leadership group to complement the captains and vice-captains. We’ve got players who connect to all parts of the squad which is really important to bring out the best in everyone.”
Force Super W captaincy group
Co-captains: Trilleen Pomare & Samantha Wood
Vice-captain: Michaela Leonard
Leadership group: Alapeta Ngauamo, Anneka Stephens, Nicole Ledington, Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke, Ngamihi Monk, Hannah Palelei
