Coffs Harbour's own Kaitlan Leaney is no stranger to Newcastle, having played for the Wildfires for several years. She now backs a solid crowd and the Wallaroos' rapidly developing depth to produce a better result against New Zealand.
Now settled in Newcastle ahead of Saturday's match, the Wallaroos have turned their attention to growth and improvement ahead of the World Cup, with the Pacific Four Series forming the toughest part of their pre-tournament preparations.
Catch this weekend's clash between the Wallaroos and Black Ferns live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
Since the last match between the two sides at Ballymore - which saw the Black Ferns blow the Aussies out of the water - Jo Yapp's side has undergone huge growth, winning the WXV 2 title and their last four matches, and the inclusion of their new Sevens stars has had an evident impact for the squad at large.
With Maya Stewart and Bienne Terita set to be on the sidelines for the next few weeks, Leaney is confident the side's new found depth will shine through.
"We need to create more depth within our squad, and I think you see that with a lot of teams," the Wallaroo lock told reporters.
"Injuries happen, and you need to make sure that the next person to come up in that jersey does the exact same job.
"We're recognising that now that we're all becoming more experienced players, and we're used to these high-pressure environments. We've played the Kiwis a lot of times now, so we know what to expect."
The Wallaroos program has expanded considerably under Yapp, with a shift towards upping the side's execution, level of physicality, and the contest around the contact area - areas the women in black have traditionally found a way through Wallaroo teams of the past.
While Layne Morgan admitted that 'being brave' is a key part of things they need to improve to break the aura around New Zealand, Leaney admitted the team as a whole has aimed to go deeper - focusing on how they want to play as a national team and the style of play they want to be known for.
"We spoke a lot about our identity as a team, as the Wallaroos," Leaney admitted candidly.
"I think that we are a fast and electric team, and I think that's the type of game we want to play.
"Focusing on that transitional attack, getting the ball out wide to our backs, and winning that collision area, but also not being afraid to move the ball around. I think that's something that we're really good at, we're focusing a lot on that.
"I think winning does that as well. It creates that belief within the team, but also knowing that we're a lot better than what we were this time last year."
Such a focus has extended to the set piece, an area the Wallaroos have needed the most growth.
Leaney herself has aimed to up her skillset, enjoying a stint at Harlequins in 2022-2023 and playing with some of Europe's best -and the side has seen forwards start to stand up, from Eva Karpani and Michaela Leonard to new up-and-comers in Katalina Amosa and Faliki Pohiva.
"We've been really impressed with how the forwards have been going," Leaney added.
"We know that set-piece area was something we had to work on, and the growth in that aspect has been really good."
While the Wallaroos have achieved more success, the imposing record and recent victories by the Black Ferns suggest a mountain needs to be climbed - but Leaney believes the battle is as big a mental one as it is a physical one.
"The mental aspect plays a huge part," Leaney admitted.
"We know as individual athletes that we can compete against them, we've shown that with the performances that we've pulled together against other teams.
"For us, it is making sure that we have that belief throughout the week and building confidence when we're at training as well."
One thing that has helped address that is the inclusion of Sevens stars like Charlotte Caslick and Tia Hinds - who have not only beaten New Zealand many times on the Sevens circuit, but have upped the internal competition for spots.
"They bring that level of professionalism. They've been full-time athletes for so many years now, they're not new to this kind of experience," Leaney explained to reporters.
"I think that a lot of girls are able to learn off that."
Returning back to her place of development has been a nostalgic ride for Leaney - and based on a positive turnout at their open training session on Monday night, the lock backs a big crowd to support the side at McDonald Jones Stadium - with hopes the side can replicate the record 7,055 turnout seen between the two sides in 2023 at Redcliffe.
The side has seen strong support in the past from the Hunter, with 3,912 fans packing in to No. 2 Sportsground in 2019 to watch the Wallaroos defeat Japan 34-5.
"It was so cool to see so many little ones running around [yesterday]," Leaney admitted.
"Newcastle is a second home to a lot of us. We really love to engage in community and get around the young girls and see that generation come through. There's a couple that have a connection to the Hunter, either being from here or having played senior rugby here.
"It sounds cliche, but we speak a lot about you can't be what you can't see, so coming back home to regional areas is really important for us.
"The last time the Wallaroos had a test here there was a great, great crowd, so many people gained a lot from that. I think it'll be really good to have that same thing happen this weekend, hopefully we get a good crowd."
