They've won a BMD Premiership together and donned the Maroon of Queensland, now dual signings Shaniah Power and Destiny Brill are ready to take the NRLW by storm for the Sydney Roosters.
Following NRLW seasons with the Gold Coast Titans, which saw Power claim the Dally M Try of the Year and Brill enjoy a memorable rookie season, the pair have relocated to Sydney in search of an elusive Premiership ring.
During the three-month hiatus between NRLW seasons, the pair laced up for the North Queensland Gold Stars in the BMD Premiership, which saw Power storm through to score the Premiership-winning try in a tense 14-12 Grand Final victory.
After taking the field for the Maroons in June, the pair have now headed south, with Power's signing a direct cause of Brill's commitment to the Red, White and Blue.
“She actually called me,” Power said.
“We were planning on staying together and we were both looking at another Club. But Destiny called me and said, ‘I’m going to move to the Roosters’, and I thought ‘You go sis, you do that, that’s fine I’m happy for you’.
“But she said, ‘Do you want me to just ask if there’s a spot?’ and the very next day Strangey called up and about an hour after the discussion he sent through the contract.
"That was pretty much all I needed."
“It was a coincidence that the positions they needed, we could fill,” Brill explains.
“But what got me over the line was the coaching, to be honest. Everything that he’s been through as a coach; who he has taught and how far he got the Roosters came from the start of the season to bring home the Premiership.
While relocating across the country can be a daunting task for anyone, not to mention a 19-year-old and 25-year-old, the duo say that their first few weeks in Bondi have been nothing short of seamless.
He genuinely cares about his players and he just wants to help them improve. There’s no favouritism or anything, and he says everything straight, which is always good.
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With familiar faces to call upon, Brill and Power say their newest teammates' hospitality has led to some already impressive combinations on the training paddock.
"The move has been really good so far. I think we’ve settled in pretty quickly and the connections and combinations are coming along really well together," Brill says.
“I actually knew some of the girls from before, so I was somewhat comfortable with coming into the team. But getting to know every girl in the squad, they’ve been so welcoming.
"It’s been really good and there’s a real family vibe. Everyone has really different personalities, but we just click.
“I knew Z (Zahara Temara) from Origin before coming in, Samantha Economos and I both played for the Warriors in our debut year in the NRLW,” Power added.
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“I was a bit nervous because there are some really huge names in the team and we were a bit worried about how we were going to fit in, but from the very first session, every single girl has just been really welcoming.
“It really pays off on the field as well - our connections, the honesty and our accountability to ourselves and each other in the team.”
Citing John Strange as a major reason for their move, Shaniah and Destiny say that influence from the man with the clipboard has already made a mark on their pre-season.
“I feel like my game has already gotten better through his one-on-one coaching style,” Brill stated.
“He genuinely cares about his players and he just wants to help them improve. There’s no favouritism or anything, and he says everything straight, which is always good.”
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“You can definitely tell he watches a lot of footage,” Shaniah adds.
“Pre-signing me after he spoke to Destiny, I could see that he had actually gone back and watched a lot of my footage.
“He was talking about the way I carry the ball, down to which foot I’m dominant in stepping off and all that kind of stuff before he actually made the call and asked for me to sign.
“It even shows throughout training sessions. He’s really great with feedback and as Destiny mentioned, he really does make time to get around to everyone.
“He’s the first person at training and really has put in a lot of time for all of us. It’s really good to see how dedicated he is.”
Two players that have gotten Power and Brill excited to line up alongside are halves Zahara Temara and Raecene McGregor - the former an Origin teammate and Roosters housemate and the latter being a three-time NRLW winner.
The combination between the quartet is certainly one that Roosters Members and supporters should be excited to see unleashed throughout the 2022 season.
“We’ve got two really good halves,” Power adds.
“We both had another option, but when I spoke to Strangey, he said that I’d most likely play on the left side with Zahara. I just said ‘yep, I’m signing'. And if he had said I’d be on the right outside with Raecene I would have said the same thing.
“I guess that’s one of the biggest reasons why I decided to make the move to the Roosters."
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“They’re both really good halves and I find you play your best footy when you’re running off good halves,” said Brill.
“They’re good at communicating pretty well too. It makes a big difference.”
As for how the two first became acquainted, you can thank the Origin arena for bringing two of the Tricolours' newest faces together.
“We actually met in Origin camp in my debut year,” Brill said.
“I think we just get along through our personalities. No one really gets it, but we’ve got all these inside jokes and that connection.”
“When we both ended up signing for the NRLW, that’s when we got a lot closer,” said Shaniah.
“She would come over every Thursday until gameday, it was her relocated home. We’ve got pretty good banter and we argue a little bit like sisters.
“When the season finished she was looking for a club and that’s how she ended up with the Gold Stars with me, and then we both decided to come to the Roosters.
"Now we want a Premiership ring."
