Shakira Baker: Warriors Women 2nd Row player on her transition to rugby league, the Sharks clash

The NRLW Warriors slipped up last weekend, falling to the Raiders 20-16. 

Despite their numbers being reduced to 11 partway through the first half, they kept in the fight and remain in the Top 6.  

Sunday sees them face off against the Sharks, and D’Arcy Waldegrave caught up with 2nd Row player Shakira Baker to discuss the matchup and her transition from rugby union. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News talks'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Find it on Sky Sport for and Shakira joins us now,
good morning morning. Hello, Hey, you're in Hamilton again, three
on the bounce. Does that sit well with you? Do
you enjoy being in the city of the future.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Yeah, No, it's cool to play in different sort of
cities and get the community involved in Yeah. Na, I'm
excited to be down there again.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
How important it is for you players to actually get
out there and get amongst Do you spend any time
visiting schools or anything at all on that kind of
promotion site.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
I think the Warriors have a good foundation community foundations
set up at the moment, creating pathways for the younger
generation and also making the effort to get into schools
and things. So I think it's really important to obviously
grow the game and just allow the younger generation to
see that they have opportunities for them future.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
You must be quite the poster child after coming from
the top of the pack when you look at Black
Ferns and the Sevens as well. You've had a storied
career there, so for you to move across codes and
represent for the Warriors that they must love you. You
can say, hey, you can play a number of codes,

(01:26):
don't like yourself in, but maybe play league.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
I don't know. I just take each one as it comes,
to be honest, and yeah, I guess it gives me
another opportunity to be an athlete, which I just love doing.
Is there's a time frame on this job, but yeah,
I guess. My family and things are always proud, always
wanting to support, and it's cool being able to play
here and get so many of my family able to

(01:52):
watch me play, which is cool.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
What's the energy like in the Warriors in rugby league
compared to a team when you're playing rugby unions? There
much of a difference between how things operate there.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
There are subtle differences. But I guess last week in
having five thousand people at our game last night that
it was it's different to an FPC match, and especially
a nighttime game and then just being a standalone having
the atmosphere and things I've found was pretty cool and
hearing the crowd cheering for our FPC games. I can't

(02:28):
really remember that much community base, but I know that
it is growing and especially around the World Cup. At
the moment, there's eighty two thousand sold out Rugby World
Cup finals, So yeah, I guess it subtle differences, but yeah,
enjoying how how much the crowd is backing woman's sport.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
What was the drive changing codes? What made you go,
you know what, I'm going to have a crack at this.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
I guess it's I was given twelve years of my
life to Union, and sort of that part of my
life had sort of dwindled, and you know, the younger
generation was coming through and talented girls, refreshing girls coming
through in that space, and there was an opportunity to
take this challenge on and it gives me enough another

(03:16):
opportunity to continue as a as an athlete, and that
sort of enticed me to make the decision to give
it a go. And I'm glad I made that decision,
and I'm glad that the coach gave me this opportunity
to continue to be an athlete.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Got a couple of year contract as well. I've got
to ask secure it. Where are you comfortable jersey wise?
Where do you like to play? Because you've played in
Union out wide center. Here you're playing center, second row,
all over the shot. What suits you? Do you think
the way you play your game.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
I guess coming from sevens and Union fifteens sevens, I
really enjoyed the space, the speed of the game and
things like that. So studying my le career at second
row has been eye opening for me physicality wise, but
I've really enjoyed it. I obviously only played three games

(04:13):
at the start and managed to get a bit of
an injury and a niggle, and then last week, just
with a couple of injuries and suspensions, I've managed to
shift into the center role. But I'm looking forward to
it as it sort of gives you a little bit
more space with the ball on attack, but then defensively,
I guess you have to make those one off decisions
as it's quite more open space to defend as well

(04:35):
by yourself.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
How's the head space around the team after what happened
last week? That was a hammer blow. You lost two
players with them I don't know how long, and now
they're out, they've suspended for a few weeks. So how
do you regroup?

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah, I think I feel for our girls who have
had to take a break for a couple of weeks.
You know, we never go out there to hurt people,
but as it is the law of the law, and
I guess it's a big heads up to our girls
who never drop their heads. But we still went out
there to put on a show for our supporters, for

(05:11):
the girls who sort of didn't intentionally go out there
and make mistakes. But yeah, I think our team has
a strong culture, which is a testament to our management
who have built that from the start. We've got an
all in culture and regardless of what's thrown at us,
we'll continue to give our best and that's all that

(05:31):
we ask of each other. So yeah, I think the
girls are in good spirit at the moment and we're
just looking to give it our best shot this weekend.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
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