AFTER a disappointing debut last season in the Fiji National Rugby League Women’s (FNRLW) Premiership, the Army Bears women’s team is aiming for a finals finish this year.
The team has made significant progress in the competition so far, recording one win and one loss.
In their opening match, the Bears put up a brave fight against last year’s finalists and former champions, the USP Raiders, but fell short with an 18-28 defeat.
Senior player Esita Batiniqila said their performance against the Raiders boosted the team’s confidence about what they can achieve this season.
“Against a champion team like the USP Raiders we were satisfied with our efforts,” she said.
“With only three days to form a rugby league team the result was a really positive one for us.”
In their second game last week, they secured their first victory of the competition, winning 12-4 against the Lami Steelers.
Despite the win, Batiniqila admitted the team did not perform as well as expected.
“We are grateful for the win but with the amount of talent on the team and our fitness level it wasn’t the performance we had hoped for,” Batiniqila explained.
“With a bye this week we will have a lot to work on before our next game.”
This season, the squad is primarily made up of female military personnel, with a few civilians strengthening their ranks.
With most players having little rugby league experience, Batiniqila said their transition to the code has been promising so far. The Army Bears are on a bye this week and will face the Police Sharks in their round four fixture of the FNRLW Premiership.
