Why Queanbeyan Whites duo Caroline Tai and Grace Tai are 'together in spirit'

But with a glance at the black band wrapped around their arms and a nod to the sky, Caroline says "we'll be together in spirit".

Because the Queanbeyan Whites and ACT Brumbies under 18s sides will both wear black armbands in honour of the Tais' cousin Cinara Paris after she passed away this week.

Caroline will lead the Whites into their Premier XVs season-opener against the Canberra Royals at Campese Field on Saturday, while Grace will be in Queensland with the Brumbies' next generation.

"This round means a lot to us," Caroline said.

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But not because of competition points or the chance to turn heads in Rugby Australia's high-performance pathways. It's because of family.

The Tai duo are counting down the minutes until they get to play together again. That moment will come in round two, when the tough slog of pre-seasons with the Whites and the Brumbies' Super W squad is almost a distant memory.

Almost. Because Caroline jokes she can still hear Grace's voice during those summer sessions.

"If we're doing conditioning, I hate when Grace is like, 'One more rep, one more rep'. I get too much head noise," Caroline laughed.

Both Caroline and Grace were in the Brumbies' pre-season squad, fuelling the fire to reach the elite level.

The Brumbies have a well-established Super W program while the Canberra Raiders are pushing to be granted an NRLW licence for 2023, making this an important year for ACT rugby clubs.

"I am looking into NRLW with Canberra Raiders bringing in a team next year, that's my one-year goal. We'll just see where we go from here," Grace said, having spent two seasons in the Raiders' under-18s squad.

"It's great because even now, I'm playing under-18s and we didn't have those opportunities before. Now we are going to Queensland and that's just so rare to see in the women's game.

"It's just developing each year, and now we have more opportunities, more pathways. We can develop into better players and actually create a career out of it instead of just playing it as a hobby.

"I reckon I performed my best at Brumbies in the pre-season when Carol was there. She's kind of like my safety blanket. I'm glad we're back into the Whites' season because that will be so good, we like playing together.

"I think I've been to five clubs, including league, and at Whites the culture is so different. It's unique, everybody makes it feel like a family."

Which is why Caroline will pull on a white jersey on Saturday.

"Especially with my family and all my brothers coming from Royals, my dad coming from Tonga and playing there - that's the reason why we're here - I still chose to come to Whites. Everyone is united, it's not women's and men's, it's one club," Caroline said.

"So keen. Obviously sad because Grace will be at Queensland playing under-18s. It will be sad missing round one with her but she will be back for the rest of the season. I'm so keen to get on the field against Royals.

"It's good to see Super W players back as well. That will be a good learning experience for us, because last year we didn't have them in the comp because their season was during [the same time]."

PREMIER XVs ROUND ONE

Saturday: Penrith Emus v Wests Lionesses at Nepean Rugby Park, 1.40pm; Tuggeranong Viqueens v Gungahlin Eagles at Viking Park, 1.40pm; Queanbeyan Whites v Canberra Royals at Campese Field, 4.45pm; Uni-Norths Owls have the bye.

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