She might have moved over to Perth to pursue her hockey dreams, but Claudia Nielsen is also striking success on the rugby field.
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The former Tamworth native is part of the RugbyWA women’s squad for the second season of the Super W competition, which kicks off on February 23.
“It should be fun,” the 21-year old said.
Having only played “a bit of sevens at the end of last season” her selection in the squad came as a complete surprise.
Encouraged by a friend to attend the trials she joked that she was trialing to be the water girl.
How wrong she was.
Selected as a winger, it has been a steep learning curve with the trials the first 15-a-side games she’d played.
But she said everyone has been “so supportive”.
“I guess they (hockey and rugby) are very different in terms of intensity because rugby is such a physical game but you take so much fitness across,” she said.
Not surprisingly she said tackling has been the biggest challenge.
“There are some great smaller wingers and I just have to learn off them,” Nielsen said.
The pre-season has been a bit disrupted due to her hockey commitments with Nielsen suiting up for the Western Australian under-21s and opens at last month’s Australian Indoor Hockey Festival.
Her last hurrah with the 21s, she was the sides top goal-scorer and fourth in the overall standings as they won bronze. She then backed up to win gold with the opens.
The Calrossy alumnus moved to Perth in 2017 after spending her ‘gap’ year in Canberra.
“I always wanted to come to Perth because they have the best league in Australia with all the Aussie guys over there,” the striker said.
She wanted to test herself against the best and see how far she could go.
Last year she played for both the opens and under-21s at the indoor nationals and the 21s at the outdoor championships.
Next step is the open’s outdoor side.
“I’d definitely love to play for the Diamonds,” Nielsen said.
“That just comes from having a really good season.”
Juggling her sporting commitments with her studies in animal science and health, she is loving her time in Perth.
“I the love the weather, love the beach,” she said.
As for the hockey...
“It’s so good. The standard is insane each week because you get the experience with the Aussie girls that play in your club,” Nielsen, who plied her trade with Olympians in the local Tamworth competition, said.
Her club, Victoria Park, boasts Jane Claxton, Hockeyroos keeper Rachael Lynch and Georgia Wilson on their roster.
“Obviously they’re only here intermittently but when they do play it’s great,” she said.
She harbours ambitions of one day wearing the green and gold, and for now at least that is for the Hockeyroos.
“I know rugby suits my work ethic more but I love hockey,” she said.
