Claudia Nielsen is a firm believer in taking opportunities with both hands, and that's exactly what the Tamworth native intends to do, literally, as her focus turns from the hockey pitch to the rugby field.
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The former Calrossy student is currently preparing for her second Super W campaign with Rugby WA. A bolter for the squad last year, having played little rugby, Nielsen comes into this year's competition not only a year older and wiser and more confident in her ability, but more conscious of the opportunity in front of her.
So much so that she is planning to devote her focus solely to rugby this year.
"Just where I'm at with rugby, it looks like I'll just do rugby for this year," she said.
"It's bittersweet because I love hockey, but I think I'll be kicking myself if I didn't give rugby a fair go this year."
It's not something the 22-year old would have thought she would be saying this time last year with hockey, which was the reason she had moved over to Perth, still very much taking precedence.
Rugby was just a bit of fun between seasons.
"Last year was super random in that I was just hoping to train with the squad and just get experience," she said.
So unprepared was she to actually play, she didn't even have a proper pair of women's boots. She went on to start on the wing in every game, and play every minute of their campaign.
It came just over a month after she'd won gold and bronze with Western Australia at the Australian Indoor Hockey Festival.
But sport can be a fickle beast and training with the University of Western Australia Uni 7s squad against the Wallaroos, Nielsen dislocated the AC joint in her shoulder.
Requiring surgery she missed the sides debut campaign, the remainder of the club rugby and hockey seasons and was in a race against time to be fit for the Australian indoor hockey sides European tourneys.
As it was she had to withdraw from the opens sides' tour to Austria but was able to play for the under-21s in Russia, which was an "awesome experience".
"It was a really amazing place, obviously just culturally so different, and the teams over there were really awesome," she said.
"It was definitely the fastest-paced indoor hockey I've ever played."
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It was her first time wearing the green and gold, which she said was "humbling" and "a huge privilege", and one of the highs of what Nielsen described as a roller coaster year but one that she took a lot of lessons from both on the field and off it.
Off the field the big thing she learnt was that you can still be valuable on the sidelines, and that you don't have to be on the field, or the turf, to be part of the team.
From a rugby perspective there was a lot to learn but Nielsen felt like she really grew through the competition and is a lot better equipped to handle the rigors of the competition.
Ahead of their season opener against the Brumbies on Saturday night, she highlighted her finishing and kicking game as two areas she has really been working on during the pre-season.
"That was something I'd never touched on at all," she said.
"Having one-on-one sessions with our head coach and backs coach has been really good."
She also spoke about backing herself and her speed.
"There's some really great girls you watch in the Black Ferns and the Wallaroos and that take on the outside and can score tries with just individual brilliance as well as having basic team skills," she said.
