NSW Waratahs women’s try scoring ace Maya Stewart had a day to remember against the Reds in the opening round of the 2021 Super W competition, scoring four tries as well as a yellow card for a high tackle, earning her a trip to the judiciary midweek.
Stewart was cleared of the charges and is ready to go for this weekend’s match against the Force and is keen to add to her try scoring tally.
The Waratahs finisher has nabbed an incredible 16 tries in just ten Super W matches, the best strike rate of any Waratah in the Super Rugby era but was quick to praise her teammates when asked about her try scoring feats.
“I don’t really think about it much, but I know enough to thank my inside players, their work rate and play to get the ball out to me in space is amazing, they give me great opportunities,” Stewart said.
With the competition entering its fourth season, the Waratahs have been able to maintain a consistent roster and build strong combinations, allowing the team to seamlessly introduce new players.
“I think now we’ve just had so much continuity, obviously it’s my third year in the team. I think playing with the girls and knowing each other so well we’re able to bring in new people and they just get the vibe straight away,” Stewart said.
“I feel like we don’t even have to communicate, we just know how each other plays.”
These combinations and the depth of the Waratahs team will be tested with the competition format forcing the Super W teams to play three matches in just ten days.
Despite these challenges the Super W champions believe in their entire squad and are looking to dominate no matter who is named in the match day 23.
“It’s pretty insane, we’ve never had to deal with a format like this but I think we have a fair bit of depth in our squad and hopefully some girls will make their debut and show that it doesn’t matter what team we put out there we can still do the job,” Steward said.
Despite the rout against the Reds on the weekend, Stewart believes there is still a lot of improvement in the team and the Waratahs will not be taking any team lightly.
The Waratahs beat the Force 44-0 in last year’s encounter with Stewart again starring, grabbing four tries in that match as well.
“We were definitely happy with our performance on the weekend, especially as it was our first hit out as a team but there’s definitely areas we can improve on, our discipline and our penalty count was not good enough,” Stewart said.
“We also need to close out games the way that we started.
“Every team seems to get stronger every year and we can’t afford to take any team lightly. I feel like we play with the same energy no matter which team we play, whether it’s the Reds or the Force.”
The Waratahs face the Western Force this Sunday at C.ex Coffs International Stadium in Coffs Harbour at 3pm, and you can catch all the action live and exclusive on StanSport.
