SHE scored two tries in her first game as a senior Australian representative and by the time Jakiya Whitfeld had finished her maiden campaign, she was an Oceania Sevens champion as well.
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The talented Bathurst teenager was included in the squad which contested the tournament in Suva, Fiji, getting her chance due to the absence of some of the nation’s female rugby sevens stars.
She embraced her chance to play in the development squad – earning praise from acting coach and former Australian captain James Stannard.
Whitfeld both started games in the wing-fullback position and from the bench as she and her team-mates went through the tournament undefeated, clinching the Oceania Sevens crown with a 14-10 win over New Zealand in the decider.
“It was really close, it was amazing. They are our main rivals, on the World Series circuit they’ve got the Australian girls the last few times, so to beat them – especially as a development team – was really good,” she said of the gold medal match.
“They were a development team too, but they had some of their main girls still, some of the younger ones.”
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Whitfeld began the tournament by scoring a brace in the 58-0 victory over Nauru. Australia went on to beat Samoa 45-0 and Papua New Guinea 31-0 to earn a spot in the semi-final against Fiji.
While the hosts had plenty of support and were nearly a World Series strength outfit, Australia prevailed 29-0. The victory in the decider against New Zealand saw Whitfeld’s side finally concede a try, but their defence was still impressive.
Whitfeld enjoyed the experience, which also included a school visit. It has fuelled her desire to join the ranks of Australia’s elite women’s sevens players.
“Obviously playing AON [Women's Uni 7s] at the start of the year gave me a little bit of experience, but it was quite different. The teams got better as it went, so we adapted to that,” she said.
“I think I learned a lot – the way that they act, the way that everything is done, it’s very professional. I think it was good for me to be in that environment and learning how world class people act.
“Coming into it you can’t expect to get all the game time, but I still got a lot out of the minutes I got and I also got a lot out of watching it, seeing all the other girls in action.
“Knowing you can get there, getting to the development stage and knowing you have the ability to do it – yeah I definitely would like to do that again.”
As well as now being an Oceania Sevens champion, Whitfeld was also named player of the series for this season’s AON 7s.
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Whitfeld and her Sydney Uni outfit placed fourth in the 10-team domestic sevens competition for women.
“I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect to get it,” the modest teenager said.
“But I loved the team I was in, they taught me a lot and gave me a lot of opportunities I may not have got with another team.”
The next assignment for Whitfeld will be on New Zealand soil in December for the World School 7s.
She will face teams from places such Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Canada, Japan and of course New Zealand at Auckland’s Pakuranga Rugby Club.