STUART BARROW is excited to see what Canterbury Bulldogs prop Hope Millard can add to his pack as England prepare to kick off their World Cup campaign on Saturday against Wales.
Widnes-born Millard is one of two heritage players to be named by Barrow, along with Sydney Roosters star Jasmine Strange.
While Strange has been linked with a call up for some time, Millard is a new name in the frame, but Barrow is confident she will more than prove her worth as the tournament progresses.
“Hope and her sister Jayme both declared their interest in joining the squad, but only Hope qualified to do so,” explained Barrow.
“She was born in the UK when her dad Shane was playing over here, but Jayme wasn’t, so doesn’t have UK citizenship.
“I spoke to Hope when I was out in Australia earlier in the year and watched her at Magic Weekend and she’s a young, dynamic prop with really good leg speed. She comes off the bench and has a real impact.
“She’s really good defensively, and defence is going to be key for us. So we looked for players who can add to our defensive structure and Hope can really do that so I am looking forward to seeing how she gets on.”
Millard and Strange, along with NRLW-based trio Fran Goldthorp, Hollie-Mae Dodd and Georgia Roche, linked up with the squad on their arrival in Perth over the weekend and will need to be integrated into the squad quickly ahead of Saturday’s opener.
“The 18 players we had going from the UK are all really embracing and looking forward to working with the Aussie-based girls,” added Barrow.
“Some of our younger players have never even met the English girls out there, so even though Georgia Roche has been in the England set up for years she’s new to a lot of our squad.
“The plan was to go out and do some social activities to get to know each other on the first night and then focus on training.
“Once they get on the field together and rugby becomes the link that bonds them, they will come together really well. Once they’re throwing a ball round amongst themselves they’ll all become one integrated team pretty quickly.
“Those five girls can have more of an impact on the others by telling them what the NRLW is all about more than I can by showing them videos. They can put their arms around the Super League girls a bit and prepare them for what’s coming at them based on first-hand experience.”
