Simaima Taufa pulled into Canberra Airport on Friday morning wishing it had gone another way.
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Just as Tamika Upton and Georgia Hale count down the hours until they lead their teams into an NRLW grand final, the Canberra Raiders skipper was dropping off co-captain Zahara Temara before she boards a flight home.
Because there will be no fairytale for the Raiders in their first season, no game at Stadium Australia on the first Sunday in October like Taufa experienced with Parramatta last year.
The two teams that effectively dashed Canberra's premiership hopes in the final three weeks of the regular season will meet in Sunday's grand final between reigning premiers Newcastle and the Gold Coast.
Taufa plans to watch. She might not. All the Dally M captain of the year knows is there is a burning desire for Canberra to be there next year, and she is adamant "all the hard work will pay off".
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"Grand finals are rare to come by and it's really hard to get there," Taufa said.
"It's those games you work hard during the whole pre-season to get to. I know we'll be working hard to get there. For every team that missed out, that's always the end goal, to get that premiership.
"All the hard work will pay off."
Taufa struggles to pick a winner for this weekend's decider. Will it be a Titans outfit who will grind for 70 minutes, or the fleet-footed Dally M winner Tamika Upton and a Newcastle pack led by Caitlan Johnston?
In the grand scheme it matters little for Canberra, who will watch from afar while Darrin Borthwick starts plotting a maiden finals appearance in 2024.
![Simaima Taufa is desperate for Canberra to taste success. Picture by Keegan Carroll Simaima Taufa is desperate for Canberra to taste success. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/4b55c014-c7c6-48e9-b2e9-ff6acb0cdae5.jpg/r0_245_4795_2952_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We've said it from day dot, we've got to make every opportunity count because we never know what's going to hold the following year," Taufa said.
"It would be good to see everyone back. To see them go back home and get their cup filled with their families, the time off allows them to reset and achieve their own goals in their personal lives, and get themselves fit and healthy to go again.
"I'm going to head back home for a little bit to see my family and get my cup filled. As much as I've loved and enjoyed the experience here in the capital, I really do miss my family.
"It's pretty surreal to see what we've been able to achieve in our first year. The results and not making the finals did not go our way, but we've been able to establish as a group the culture we've built here.
"It's sad, knowing everyone is returning home. The last ones are finally leaving the capital."
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