Perennial contender Sally Fitzgibbons insists she will need to take risks earn a maiden world surfing title and says she has been motivated by the success of her compatriot Tyler Wright.
Fitzgibbons, a three-time world title runner-up, has slipped to eighth on this year's tour with one event remaining.
She is hosting and backing this week's WSL qualifying series Sydney International Pro event at Cronulla Beach, but her desire to win a world title hasn't dimmed nor her famous optimism wavered.
Watching the younger Wright clinch her first world crown has served to stoke the fire within Fitzgibbons, who has never finished lower than fifth since joining the tour in 2009.
"I still feel fresh even though at 24 I've had eight years on tour," Fitzgibbons told AAP.
"I've still got some amazing years left in me and I feel amazing at training and what I'm doing on the board. That patience and belief is there.
"I want to replicate one of those years, you saw Tyler have it this year, where that momentum is there,.
"It almost just came with ease, as she said.
"I feel like if I can just keep that resilience there, keep picking myself up and not being too proud in saying I can improve, I can get better.
"That's what I have to do to take the title next year..
"I think with the way the sport continually is elevating, everyone is pushing their performances.
"For me, I'm going to have to display more power on the waves and definitely more progression and with both those things comes risk.
"You have to be confident in yourself, you have to believe that even with some falls you'll have through the year, that you can keep attacking."
Fitzgibbons is also competing this week and is adamant she won't be distracted, despite being determined to embrace all the other aspects of staging an event.
"First and foremost is me the competitor and putting that jersey on, so come the weekend that's when I'm most excited, when I'm out there and doing what I train for," she said.
"I wanted to make a conscious decision to leave a footprint on the sport, and just leave it a little better than I found it, at the end of my career.
"I've got the energy and the inspiration to do this now."
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