Tysha Ikenasio: Warriors Women Centre ahead of their clash against the Knights

The Warriors women started off strong, claiming a win over Parramatta last Sunday. 

Centre Tysha Ikenasio got on the scoresheet last weekend and is hoping for a repeat when they face the Knights tomorrow. 

The former sevens player joined Adam Cooper to discuss their strategy off the back of their success, and how she’s finding the switch from sevens to league. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldergrave from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
So let's talk NRLW now and the Warriors women and
their return to the competition. Got their first win last
week ken to a good win over Power Matter Too Now.
One of the former Sevens players that's converted to league
for the season is Tyscher Ecanacio, who joins us now
to look ahead to their game against the Knights across
the Tasman tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Night.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Morning to your Taysher, you got on the score sheets
last week as well as dotting down for a try.
How you're enjoying your switch to league so far?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, good morning. It's been pretty cool. Really different from
the environment and you know, the game that I was playing,
But yeah, a couple of games and now bodies definitely
feeling it. But yeah, I'm really really enjoying it.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
I guess when you made the decision to look at
league and join the Warriors for the NRALW season, you
would have had a few things you wanted to sort
of tick off early on in the campaign. What have
you sort of been focusing on these first couple of
weeks of competition.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, I guess for me, I came off for injury
last year, having surgery on my knees, so my main
focus honestly was just to rehabit and kind of get
back out on the field. But now obviously been back
out on the field, just trying to focus on what
I have to do as a center, obviously learning league
and just trying to nail my role. Obviously working alongside

(01:30):
Mikayla on my outside is pretty cool. You know, we've
obviously been in sevens together and now we're both changing
to league and so we're really just trying to learn
off our experienced players and then yeah, just run the ballhard,
really exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
And both you and Makadah got on the score sheets
last weekend, where we know you used to scoring tries
and that's what you're doing sevens, that's what you've done
so far this season here. How nice is it just
having that combination with her, your familiarity with each other
in a new environment.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, obviously, you know we've been together for the last
probably four years in the sevens environment, but ye're kind
of making that trend over. The league for both of
us has definitely tested us, you know, the physicality and
league is completely different. You know, got some big girls,
big shoulders, so you know that alone. But you know,
I think we complement each other really well the way

(02:21):
that we play. We both got really good comms and
so I'm actually really enjoying it. Yeah, playing alongside her,
even though it has been years, but it feels really
different in the league environment. So it's been really cool.
And I think we've both grown heaps and learned heaps
from the players and then just within ourselves to.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
What landed you on the center position.

Speaker 3 (02:44):
I'm not really sure. Ron just told me, look, you're
going to play there. Inside just started learning and just
trying to immerse myself in the league environment. And yeah,
I don't know, I've really enjoyed it. I've got heaps
to learn, but I'm just, yeah, just trying to learn
off all our experienced players and just go hard every
time I get the opportunity to play.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
So yeah, amazing. Give this is a sevens player. You
crave open space. I guess the times you're able to
site that will be slightly less when you've got a
whole team of rugby players out on the park. So
you know, how's that mentality during a game trying to
spot those gaps.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, it's definitely much different to SEVENS. Obviously, SEVENS is
only seven of you on the field and there's heaps
of space and here you kind of look up and
there's not much space at all. But I think it's just,
you know, the more from our first game even to
our second game. I know we've only played two, but
you can just see how much we've developed as a
team and individually already. And I think the more we

(03:39):
go on. We've kind of fit that platform against the Roosters,
the defending champs, and I thought that we did really
well in that game, and then to come back last
week with the win at home, you know, and we
just stepped up again. So I think it's just building
each week, building our individual talents and then just building
as a team. Yeah, I'm just excited. I think we've

(03:59):
got a great group of girls led by Ron, and yeah,
I think we can just keep building from here.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Lights this weekend away, we know they put on twenty
six or so points and there when over the Cowboys
last week, so they can score. What are you kind
of focusing on as you build up to this one,
hopeing to can send you that momentum.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, the Night's are a great team and there's obviously
a few girls have played for the Knights. Ron coached
the night so you know, I know that we're going
over there and there's a you know, and I'm even
missing Niecks from Sevens, so you know there's there's going
to be a really good game. I don't think it's
much focusing on them. I think it's what we bring.
You know, we're going to travel over again. The traveling

(04:38):
is completely different to Seven's. You know, it's kind of
just over the ditch, but it's just yeah, it's a
completely different kind of ball game when you go over
and it's not on your home ground. But yeah, I
think we're just excited. We've got a great team culture
and I think every time we kind of turn up
to the park, you know, we're ready, and yeah, we're
just excited to get up there and play. And I
think each week get just builds and grows, and you

(04:58):
can see it on the field of connections and the
grip that I'm out in hands.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Awesome, Tasha, We'll glad to hear you loving it and
all the best this week. Thanks for joining us. That
is Tysher Ecnacio out of the Warriors women's team. She's
one of the seven's converts that's clearly enjoying her switch
to league. So they kick off against the Knights at
eight point fifteen tomorrow night, that is after the men's game,
with the Warriors in action against Newcastle to the men's
game underway from six to five, so a couple of

(05:23):
big games of league to get amongst tomorrow nights from Newcastle.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
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