With just one member of their squad having played at senior level, coach Leti Tamasese says the eight New Zealand and Australia-based players in her team will be looked upon for guidance at the Loto-Tonga Soka Centre.
“We have got a few girls who have got the experience in those other countries, so I am looking at them,” Tamasese says.
“They are used to playing at a higher level, so they will know how to handle situations here.
“On top of that we have our defender, Lagmaina Akari, who played for the senior team at the Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea, so we will be OK.”
Among the players Tamasese has sought out for leadership is 19-year-old forward Matalena Daniells, who was born in Australia but qualifies for Samoa through heritage.
A member of the Olympic FC club in Queensland, Daniells says she is embracing her role within the squad.
“I am really happy with the responsibility, I’m a bit of a talker on the field and I tend to yell a bit,” she says.
“But it’s not only about being a leader on the field, but off the field as well with little things like keeping the camp tidy.”
With their playing group spread so far apart Samoa had little opportunity to hold training sessions with the entire squad, but have spent the last two weeks in camp together to erase any concerns about gelling as a team.
“We had a camp over in Samoa with all of us, and only one of the girls couldn’t make it and met us here in Tonga. The rest of us travelled together which was good,” Daniells says.
“It was definitely easy for us overseas players to fit in with the local girls, the Samoan culture is easy to fit in with and the people are so lovely.
“Working on how we play together and getting used to everyone’s different styles was probably the biggest problem.
“But we are getting there and I think we are going to get better and better as the competition goes on.”
New Zealand and New Caledonia open the action on Match Day 2 at 13h00, while Samoa take on Tonga at 15h30.
For more on Samoa football go to www.footballsamoa.ws .