But for those who know her, they would Darcy shows those qualities as well.

It's that contribution to the sport that led Darcy to be named the Sportsperson of the Year at Dubbo's Australia Day ceremony in Victoria Park on Wednesday.

The award came as a shock to Darcy but it was one she was deserving of after another year of dedication to the sport she loves.

Not only did Darcy again represent the Hornets and help them to a National Touch League victory, she also made her Origin debut for the NSW women's 40s side and starred in the win over Queensland, picking up the Player of the Series award along the way.

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On top of that, she continued to be one of the may tireless workers on the local scene and helped develop and mentor the next generation of stars as coach of the Dubbo under 12s girls side.

"I look at myself as a 43-year-old woman and there's a lot of athletes and sportspeople around who do great things so it's humbling and an honour to be recognised," she said.

"The Origin series was amazing. And playing Hornets you just create so many friendships but because it's at an older level you also see how many people do give back to the sport, and they're all coaching younger teams and encourage people to join in what is a great sport.

"And touch is a great sport for me because you can play well into your 50s, so I hope I can maintain that."

The Origin series was the highlight of the year, as NSW defeated Queensland 2-1 in the women's 40s division.

That helped NSW claim overall bragging rights at the carnival and was particularly special as she got to play alongside Dubbo teammate Nic Grose.

She heaped praise on Grose following that series, "she's the reason I play touch", and it's that kind of selflessness and focus on teammwork that also played a role in her winning the Australia Day prize.

"Dubbo Touch has got such a strong community," Darcy said.

"I know so many sports are the same but they've always got something going on in the background. They're promoting the sport or development programs and people volunteer to run the development days.

"It's a great tightknit community of people who want to promote the sport and a healthy lifestyle, it's so inclusive."

Darcy was joined by her family at the Australia Day ceremony.

Two of her daughters - Majayada and Makaah - are making waves in women's rugby league and being part of such an exciting time for female sport is also exciting for Darcy.

Majayda will play with St Mary's in the Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership for 2022 and Shelley is proud to see how touch football has helped so many girls advance their skills in the burgeoning rugby league arena.

"I love that it's a game that's accessible to everyone and for the girls now, it gives them a pathway," she said.

"Touch is so recognised across Australia now so you can travel and play at different levels and enjoy the sport, but the girls can also use it as a pathway into the league or union or whatever they love playing.

"It gives you the grounding and skills without the contact."

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