Stewart returns from Achilles injury to bolster Wallaroos squad for Scotland home series

Maya Stewart has been recalled to the Wallaroos squad for the WXV Global Series home Tests against Scotland, having fully recovered from the Achilles injury that kept her out of Australia’s away leg in Europe.

The prolific winger’s return comes at a cost to the squad’s depth, with Piper Flynn dropping out of the 30-strong group to accommodate her. Stewart’s comeback is offset by two further absentees: Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke has joined the injury list with a knee complaint, while Tia Hinds is unavailable on personal leave.

Australia host Scotland over consecutive weekends in Sydney as part of a quadruple-header fixture, with the Wallaroos carrying a perfect record against their opponents in the rivalry. That includes a 30-10 victory just two weeks ago on Scotland’s home soil — a result that came despite Scotland having leapfrogged Australia in the world rankings for the first time in October 2024.

Director of Women’s High Performance Tim Walsh acknowledged the team had work to do after a mixed European tour. “During our recent tour of Europe, we had some success in aspects of our game but lacked the consistency for a performance to be really proud of,” he said. “Having played and beaten Scotland recently, our understanding of each other has grown. We will need to be far better than we were in Edinburgh to achieve the outcome we desire.”

Walsh welcomed Stewart’s availability, adding: “Maya Stewart returns for us and brings plenty of experience out wide.”

The squad features several experienced campaigners, with Michaela Leonard on 50 caps and Eva Karpani on 48 among the most decorated. Stewart herself brings 27 caps to the group, which also includes one-cap Ella Ryan at the other end of the experience spectrum.