The Western Force’s maiden dual Rebecca Clough medal winner Samantha Wood says she’s proud of herself for consistently challenging herself to get better after taking out the top gong on Saturday night.
Force co-captain Wood, 22, claimed the Force’s top women’s individual accolade at Saturday evening’s Rebecca Clough Medal Night held at the WACA Ground, winning with 92 votes ahead of Kalamunda rake and close Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke (68).
ARKS product Wood led the medal count from start to finish, claiming her second Rebecca Clough medal after saluting in 2024 when she was a breakout star.
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Wood has since established herself as the Wallaroos’ preferred nine, starting every game at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
However, she missed the 2025 Super W season with a nerve injury in her shoulder, but bounced back from that frustration with outstanding form in 2026 which she attributed to her desire to get better.
“I feel very honoured and privileged,” Wood said. “To be voted by the girls, I’m speechless.”
When asked about winning the medal twice, she added: “It shows I’m always challenging my craft.
“I’m always chasing better and I don’t want to settle for what’s good or what’s working.
“I’m always trying to improve. For that, I’m really proud of myself.”
Wood sustained her nerve injury following the Force’s 2024 Japan Tour, leaving her in limbo, forcing her to miss the 2025 Super W season. She paid tribute to the Force and the club’s medical staff for getting her through that.
“Coming back from that injury, I learned a lot of lessons,” she said.
“It wasn’t an easy road. To be able to come back from that, I’m very grateful and privileged that the Force were able to invest in me and bring me back to the place where I am now. I hope to give it all back to them.
“It wasn’t career threatening but we just didn’t know what it was for a long time. It was more how long would I be out for.”
Wood also took home the Members’ MVP on Saturday night following her first season as co-captain alongside Trilleen Pomare. The 22-year-old half-back was a standout in 2026, leading the side for points scored (41) with two tries with a goal-kicking accuracy of 75 per cent off the tee.
She also had four breakdown steals and six turnovers won, showcasing her all-round game. But Wood reflected on the growth of her kicking game in 2026, where she had a league-high 1797 kicking metres.
“I thought I was very consistent,” Wood said. “I worked really hard to put myself and the team in really good positions.
“I think my kicking game this really showed throughout the season, that I could put us in really good positions of the field.
“We just needed to execute it. Overall I was very happy with it but it’s just a shame we couldn’t finish it off in the end.”
On the team’s determination to go one further in 2027 after losing a third straight semi-final, Wood added: “100 per cent (we want to go one better).
“This year we had a lot of up and downs, like suspensions, injuries, just like every team has. This year was a very challenging year for us.
“We showed that we can win. But we just need to do it a bit more consistently and be able to hold out to the end of the season.”
Wood will link up with the Wallaroos next, with the national squad to be confirmed on Monday ahead of the Test against New Zealand on Saturday 22 August in Auckland.
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