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How to sync your TV with SNWorld Cup last frontier for superstar Tamika Upton
Murray Wenzel & Joel Gould, AAP •  November 13th, 2026 4:02 pm
The big match-up: Tamika Upton is downplaying her duel with NZ rival Apii Nicholls | Photo: Robert Duong/AAP
On her own football "island", Australian fullback Tamika Upton won't get sucked into a one-on-one battle with New Zealand opposite Apii Nichols in the World Cup final.
Just as Reece Walsh and Kalyn Ponga prepare for their showdown in the men's final, the pair will be key pieces in Sunday's Suncorp Stadium decider that looms as a missing piece in a bulging Upton trophy cabinet.
But while she acknowledges the stakes of the match-up, Brisbane ace Upton won't be giving it too much thought.
"I'm on my own little island back there at fullback sometimes," she said when asked about the battle with the Warriors gun.
"She's in really good form, but to be honest she always is, so you know what you're going to get with her.
"It's all about momentum, keeping them in their end, kicking the ball in a nice spot. Our halves are all over it, and I'm sure they'll be doing the exact same thing to me too."
Tamika Upton missed Australia's victorious 2022 World Cup campaign and it still hurts | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Five-time NRLW champion Upton missed Australia's victorious 2022 campaign, opting out after battling through the late stages of that season with a calf issue.
"Injuries suck, but they're a part of the game and in the year after my body was fresh, I knew it was the right decision," she said.
"But you do get a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) and you watch them go over there and kill it.
"Obviously it sucked, but it was probably the best thing for me."
