Millie Elliott can remember a time when she was forced to wash cars to help pay for the chance to play footy.
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It's the kind of commitment and fierce determination that makes the dual international sympathise with and respect the current batch of rising female stars in the western area.
The Western Rams region is quickly becoming a rich breeding ground for female footy talent.
Last Friday, Trangie's Jess Skinner coached the Indigenous All Stars side which included Dubbo product Taneka Todhunter.
On top of that, a horde of western juniors are currently running out for NRL clubs in the Tarsha Gale Cup.
One of those, Elizabeth MacGregor, starred in round one of the competition and scored a hat-trick for the Roosters.
After the impressive achievement, the teenager spoke of how she has to miss two days of school every week in order to train in Sydney while she's often not home until 1am in the morning.
It's a similar story for other young players from the likes of Orange, Bathurst, Forbes and Grenfell.
![Australian international Millie Elliott (main) and (insets, from top) Elizabeth MacGregor, Zoe Lee, and Chloe Patrick and Faith Ryder. Australian international Millie Elliott (main) and (insets, from top) Elizabeth MacGregor, Zoe Lee, and Chloe Patrick and Faith Ryder.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/ca0069da-ce34-4846-b8dd-e7a5b3b277e0.jpg/r0_0_1720_1009_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Elliott, from Cobargo on the south coast originally, is all too aware of gruelling trips like that while working to make a name for herself.
"It takes the commitment, living regionally and living in the bush," Elliott said while at Dubbo last week for the Game Changer Tour.
"I travelled three-and-a-half hours to train and that's when I was playing rugby union. We didn't even have rugby league.
"I had to get up really early and I'd catch lifts with people or we'd drive up.
"We used to wash cars and the windows at traffic lights after training to pay for the next trip away or our kit or whatever it might be.
"It sounds like a bit of a whinge or old school but that's where we're at and the challenges young girls face away from those big towns.
"But, often, they're often the ones who see success later on because they've had that drive."
Elliott, who is gearing up for her second year at the Roosters after previously winning NRLW premierships with both the Brisbane Broncos and Newcastle Knights.
The competition has gone from strength to strength in recent years and 10 clubs will be vying for the title in 2024 after just four teams contested the inaugural NRLW in 2018.
"That number is going to grow next year and the year after that," Elliott said.
"There's Canberra as a pathway and there's clubs around Sydney and there's more of a pathway for girls to really pursue NRLW.
"They can play right through school now, then they can play in the Tarsha Gale and then they can play in the opens so it's really exciting to see where we're at and where we're heading."