Trilleen Pomare has been re-appointed as the Western Force captain for the 2024 Super Rugby Women’s season supported by stand-in Wallaroos skipper Michaela Leonard who has been elevated to Force vice-captain.
Kalamunda inside centre Pomare, who has 23 caps for the Wallaroos, will lead the Force for the fourth straight season since taking over from Ashlee Temple in 2021.
The 30-year-old has been with the Force/Rugby WA women’s side since its inauguration in 2018, playing a club record 22 games, scoring four tries. She was honoured with the club’s Force Woman Award alongside Sera Ravatudei last year.
Pomare along with Leonard both reiterated their commitment to the Force by penning multi-year contracts earlier this year.
Leonard is fresh from captaining Australia during the recent WXV1 Tournament on a stand-in basis in the absence of the injured Piper Duck.
The 28-year-old, who has 22 Wallaroos caps to her name, joined the Force prior to the 2023 Super W season from the ACT Brumbies and the lock made a strong impact in her debut season in the west, playing all five games.
Force head coach Dylan Parsons said he believed the duo were the “strongest leadership pair” in Super W and was thrilled with the appointments.
“Trilleen is someone everybody in the team looks up to and she’s long been our heart and soul,” Parsons said. “When you think of the Western Force, you think of Trills.
“Having Trilleen as captain supported by Michaela as vice-captain is a great combination. We wanted different styles.
“Trilleen leads by example and offers the subtle touches behind the scenes with those one-on-one conversations.
“Michaela brings great leadership from her recent experience as Wallaroos’ stand-in captain. She is a good and strong communicator with her voice and backs that up with her actions.
“I believe we have the strongest leadership pair in the country.”
Pomare said it was a privilege to captain the Force and reinforced Parsons’ mantra about ‘being the first’.
“I love the privilege of leading these women and cannot wait to do that again in 2024, which promises to be an exciting year for our group,” Pomare said.
“As Dylan says, we have a theme about ‘being the first’ and I want to drive that internally to help this group achieve like never before.
“I love the privilege of leading these women and cannot wait to do that again in 2024, which promises to be an exciting year for our group,” Pomare said.
“As Dylan says, we have a theme about ‘being the first’ and I want to drive that internally to help this group achieve like never before.
“I’m also excited to work alongside Michaela, who has shown her leadership standing in as captain of the Wallaroos late last year. There’s no doubt I’ll lean on her to get the best out of this group.”
Leonard, who played alongside Pomare for the Wallaroos at last year’s WXV Tournament, was excited about her appointment and the season ahead.
“I’m honoured to be named as vice-captain for the 2024 season,” Leonard said. “It’s a really exciting opportunity to continue to work alongside someone who I respect as great a leader in Trilleen and share what we have learned together through our Wallaroos campaigns.
“The group we have this year is really new and exciting. I believe we have the talent to further to build on last season.”
The Force open their Super W campaign on Friday March 15 from 4:30pm against the Melbourne Rebels at HBF Park.
Prior to that, the Force women will face Japanese club Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix in two pre-season trial games from Friday 23 February from 4:30pm prior to the Force men’s Super Rugby season opener at HBF Park.
