For Kimberly Fyfe, every chance for the Dubbo Kangaroos to play as a team is a chance she never had as a young woman.
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The Central West Blue Bulls representative grew up playing netball in Lake Cargelligo, and certainly didn't have the option of playing full contact rugby union while she was in high school.
But in its debut Westfund Ferguson Cup season, half the Roos side is under the age of 20, and Fyfe has - somewhat reluctantly - become one of their mentors.
"I just want to play ... but there's no one else really that could do it yet," the captain said.
"Compared to five years ago having three to four teams to now having 10 to 12 is absolutely amazing and that shows how far the development has come.
"It's very exciting."
The Roos haven't had the best start to the season results-wise, losing 47-0 to Bathurst Bulldogs and 58-20 against West Wyalong, before being forced to forfeit against Orange City.
They were disappointed when the Cowra-Canowindra women forfeited Saturday's round four clash, costing them a chance to put what they've been learning at training into action.
"We set our goals each week of what we need to focus on," Fyfe said.
"They're learning each week and every time we have a game, that's why we were disappointed about last weekend."
The Roos only have about 10 players registered for the 10-a-side competition, making the provision for games to be played as seven-a-side fixtures crucial.
But Fyfe was proud to see "a lot of girls that are consistently showing up to training and game days" despite the lack of numbers.
She expects the same level of commitment this weekend against Forbes, who have won two of their four games so far.
"All our goals are this weekend is just to work on the skills we're learning at training," Fyfe said.
"Whether we get a win or not, even if it's a loss, we'll kick our goals by practising our skills and getting some game time."
With the rise of the Super W competition and the Australian women's rugby team, Fyfe felt confident about the elite pathways available to aspiring players.
She knows the Roos - and the Dubbo Rhinos as well - can play a role in providing another step in that pathway, by providing passionate juniors the chance to continue in the game and further develop their skills.
Simply having two women's sides in Dubbo was "amazing", Fyfe said.
"There's a lot of opportunities out there for women in rugby now," she said.
"I know there's a lot of juniors in the 13 to 15 age group that haven't got anywhere to go so we thought this team would be nice to develop their skills."
Fyfe said "it's not too late to join" anyone interested in learning more about women's rugby to attend a training session at Victoria Park No 2 and 3 Ovals (behind the Western Plain Cultural Centre) from 6pm on Tuesday.
"We're a good group of girls and ... it's all about having fun and learning new skills," she said.
