For some, managing the schedules of being a Wallaroo and ACT Brumbies rugby union player, and a navy seaman, would be a difficult task.

But for Lydia Kavoa, it’s a piece of cake.

“To be honest, it isn’t (difficult), there isn’t any struggle with attending sessions,” she told CD.

“The Navy has been so supportive with this, and right now I’m at a stage in my career where I’m in the navy to play rugby, so they understand that.”

Kavoa said she has even been placed in a “light job role”, rostered on adjusted work hours to prioritise her rugby commitments.

She said there was no struggle fitting it all in.

“My boss is from Jindabyne and loves rugby and the Brumbies,” Kavoa said.

“He just supports me in whatever I have to do when it comes to rugby.”

Born in New Zealand to Fijian and Tongan parents and raised in Sydney, Kavoa loved watching rugby but grew up playing soccer. It was during her time in the navy that she transitioned to rugby.

Kavoa played for Navy in the ADF Tri service competition, where she was named rookie of the year and female MVP despite only playing rugby for three months before joining the Brumbies.

She was quickly identified by the Wallaroos and brought into the squad, making her Australian representative debut against Fiji in July 2024.

Kavoa said others in the navy often asked if she played rugby — or simply assumed that she did.

“I said, ‘Nah,’ then finally I was like, ‘I’ll suss it out,’ and it took off from there,” she said.

“I played one game, and I thought ‘It’s alright, aye.’

“I played a couple of games, then took a break because it’s hard to play on a ship. I couldn’t join a club, and I was always away from home.”

Her time in the league hasn’t been an easy ride; after playing in 2016, she took a break while on a navy ship. She joined her first club in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“Then I didn’t play for two years and had pretty bad injuries,” Kavoa said.

“I still wanted to play, then I moved to Canberra in 2022 and that’s when I started with Uni-Norths Owls, and that’s when it took off (again).”

With this year being only her fifth year playing rugby, Kavoa said representing her country was something that crossed her mind when she first gave the sport a go in 2016.

“When I made the squad, it was very emotional because it had been a massive goal of mine. I just put the hard work in,” she said.

“It’s so true that your hard work will always work for you.”

Her schedule: home, rugby, work. The navy is so supportive of her rugby career they even changed her posting so she could remain in Canberra.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to the good human in that position to realise the potential here to support me,” Kavoa said.

“If I got the wrong person, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you today.”

Currently on sick leave from the navy due to a calf injury, Kavoa’s worlds collided when she was given the honour of reading out The Ode at the Brumbies’ 27 April Anzac Day clash against the Hurricanes.

Canberra Daily would love to hear from you about a story idea in Canberra and the surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.

Feeling social? Follow Canberra Daily: Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | Tik Tok | YouTube