Titans back-rower Shaylee Bent says she’s relishing the opportunity to start on the left edge and a more settled lifestyle on the Gold Coast after relocating while at the Dragons in previous seasons.
Bent will line up against her former club on Saturday after she was one of six Jillaroos representatives who departed the Red V at the end of last year.
Her exit though was tied in with the fact she was living on the Gold Coast during her final two years playing for the Dragons and was chasing some stability off the field in a bid to focus on the game.
The move north has also allowed the 22-year-old to switch to her preferred left edge after playing most of her time in the Red V on the right side of the field.
“I’m much more comfortable on the left side and have noticed that straight away on the field... on the right I had to learn but it wasn’t something that came naturally,” Bent told jetwinvip.com.
“I’ve always been on the right because Kezie [Apps] played left when we were at the Dragons and then went to prop. We also had Talei Holmes, so it's been good to play in my preferred position.
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“It’s been the best move to join the Titans and I’m glad I did it now. I’ve been loving being at home and that’s been the best thing mentally and maybe physically with the beach and everything close.
“There are maybe five girls that are still there at the Dragons from last year's side so it will be hard playing them and ‘Sowie’ (Dragons coach Jamie Soward) is like an uncle to me who taught me a lot and we still message each other.
“They’re a fresh team and going well. When I came to the Titans I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve played with a few of the girls but not as frequently as the other girls.
“We’re going above my expectations at the moment but we haven’t reached out potential yet and need to get a win on Saturday.”
Many believe Bent’s decision to move to the Titans was heavily influenced by her partner David Fifita’s future at the club but the Indigenous All Stars representative said they were determined to keep their careers separate.
“I had to make my decision before he did so I just purely backed myself and hoped he would be here too but you never know,” she said.
“It’s good to know we’ll both be here now. We’re both training every day so balancing that and wanting to get the best performances out there on the field for our teams is important to us.
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“It’s definitely a bonus he’s a footy player as well so we can bounce off each other but we never talk too much footy. Maybe after a game but that’s pretty much it.”
Bent was waiting on the pending return of injured Titans playmaker Taliah Fuimaono to beef up the left edge but had been blown away by teenagers Sienna Lofipo and Chantay Kiria-Ratu in the halves.
“I look around at training and realise at 22 I’m one of the older girls,” Bent laughed.
“I’ve been in their shoes only a couple of years ago. I’ll tell them if they want a spot they’re going to have to be more competitive or give them other sorts of advice.
“With the older girls it can be a bit intimidating at times but they’re going really well and are doing a good job for us.”
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