Wallaroos all-time leading try-scorer Maya Stewart has sent a pointed message to her teammates and wider rugby contingent that there'll be no more excuses for poor performances in the future once the women's program turns fulltime from next year.
Following the announcement of Olympic gold medal-winning Australian rugby sevens women's coach Tim Walsh in Rugby Australia's newest role as technical director of women's rugby, a role that will oversee the elevation of the women's fifteens game to fulltime and the alignment of the women's sevens and fifteens programs, attention immediately turned to expectations for the group and what the experienced coach could bring to the wider program.
Walsh has previously overseen the expansion of the women's sevens program to fulltime two years ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio where the side went on to win the first women's rugby sevens gold medal and has since led the team to a Commonwealth Games gold, a World Cup Sevens title and most recently SVNS series championship title. With three years until Australia hosts the women's World Cup, RA is hoping he'll be able to reproduce his incredible success.
It won't be easy though. The Wallaroos currently sit ninth on the World Rugby rankings, have been knocked out of the two most recent World Cups in the quarterfinals and were most recently defeated in all three Pacific Four matches in March.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, Wallaroos star Stewart didn't mince her words when asked if players within the squad and the wider fifteens program were prepared for the expectations that will come with becoming fulltime athletes.
"I think it'll obviously be a big test for some of the girls," Stewart told media. "We'll see people thrive and we'll probably see other people probably not, I guess, be around. I guess that's just the nature of the beast.
"You kind of trim the fat and people succeed and people don't. That's what Tim's looking to do. It'll get right down to the pointy end of things.
"I put my hand up [to join the Australian sevens program] because I wanted to come and be around a bunch of winners and a program that I see is really successful, so there is that attraction piece, but you're absolutely right, it is going to ramp up [expectations]."
Pressure will be on Walsh to see a quick turnaround of the 15s program with the side now one of the most funded in women's rugby around the world, according to an insider, but even with the clock ticking to kick off in 2029, Stewart has looked to New Zealand and their incredible 2022 World Cup campaign that saw them claim the title over England as evidence the same can be done here.
"We're sort of sitting in a position now where if we didn't move forward, we almost become stagnant, so with a home World Cup in three years and rolling into 2028 [Olympic Games in Los Angeles], I think it's a massive step forward for the organisation and probably something that, not needed to happen sooner, but we were sort of running out of time, so super important and I guess really exciting for us.
"There's definitely time. I think Wayne Smith is a perfect example for the Black Ferns over in New Zealand. A year out prior to their home World Cup I think they got smacked up 50 to 0 and were able to turn it around and actually beat England.
"I don't think time is the issue. I think having the group come together and be able to dedicate themselves, we'll just see the rewards of that straight away.
"Tim's the perfect person. I think going into 2016, they had only become fulltime two or three years prior to that, so it's almost a really similar timeline. There's no better person for this job."
Player retention has been a major crux for RA with several players leaving both the 15s and sevens games to pick up contracts in NRLW, including former Wallaroos Layne Morgan, Ashley Marsters, Arabella McKenzie and Jay Huriwai, and most recently sevens stars Sariah Paki and Maddie Ashby all switching codes this year alone.
With the transition to fulltime, an Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, a home World Cup in 2029 and the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, RA have the potential to elevate the women's game to a height never seen in Australia before and it's exactly what Stewart believes will have former players and new athletes turning to the game.
"Yeah, 100% [players will stay in the game]. I mean, that's the attraction piece, right?" Stewart said. "An Olympic medal in 2028 and then a home World Cup; there's really nothing bigger than that on offer.
"Obviously, those athletes that have left, and I think girls who probably haven't played the sport either [will be attracted]. Tim mentioned retaining players, but also recruitment, which is really exciting.
"That's a whole different gravy now that we're sort of looking at in terms of talent pool."