Rikki Fitzgerald’s final rugby season in Dunedin has been her best.

The former Trident High School, Mount Maunganui and Ōpōtiki women’s player was part of the successful Otago Spirit team that captured the 2025 FPC Championship.

Her Otago Spirit team were undefeated for the season, playing some cracking rugby.

“It was definitely my best season I’ve had in Dunedin,” she said.

“All the code that we played this season just felt as if it was about having fun and we had creative freedom on the field.

“Our coach this year liked the Japanese style of rugby more and implemented that into our Spirit game plan.

“I really enjoyed it and the new style, which as a lock, made me feel as if I was a back, with the amount of space we had to play with.”

Part of the Otago women’s rugby academy, 21-year-old Fitzgerald originally missed out on the Otago Spirit’s main squad and was forced to start out with the development team.

“Being in the academy this year, it was my goal to be named in the Spirit for the season but, unfortunately, I wasn’t selected in the main selection.

“I was gutted but I just kept playing my game for the development team.

“It was my last year in Dunedin before moving to Wellington next year, so I was making the most of it and having some fun in the development team.

The coaches thought I was playing really well and ended up bringing me up for the Northland game in round three.

“I must have been doing something right because I ended up getting named in the Spirit match day 23s for the rest of the season and even managed to start in the Taranaki game and heaps of minutes.

“Although I didn’t start off in the team, I was blessed with how things ended up working out.”

Fitzgerald, who is a roaming lock/loose forward, said she’d made some lifetime friends since being in Dunedin.

“I have also had amazing coaches and guidance since being down here and I can’t thank them enough for what they have taught me.”

She admits it can be tough fronting each week in the colder conditions.

“I definitely am not a fan of the cold; you need some thick skin to play in some of the deep south winters.

“I’m really gutted I’m going to leave Dunedin and especially my Sharks’ team and my friends next year.

“But my placement for medicine has meant that I’ve had to move to Wellington.”

When she wasn’t playing for the Spirit, Fitzgerald was helping her Dunedin Sharks club team win titles.

“The FPC Championship was one of my favourite rugby memories and achievements to date.

“We had done the whole season undefeated and then topped it off with winning the title.

“I don’t think you could have asked for a better season.”

She rates her success with the Sharks as her rugby highlight, because it was a team full of friends who played for each other.

In Otago, there has been plenty of experience for Fitzgerald to learn off, and she feels it’s grown her game.

“I think I have learnt a lot from playing down here especially from the older girls such as Greer Muir and Tegan Hollows and Eilish Doyle.”

She hopes to keep progressing in her rugby journey, but first wants to find a club and settle into Wellington and hopefully make the Wellington Pride side.”