The whirlwind that the last six months have been for Brooke McKinnon reached a memorable crescendo in Melbourne on Friday night.
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This time last year running around for Narrabri in the Central North competition, the Bingara teenager is now a Waratah after making her Super W debut in their final round win over the Rebels.
The realisation of a long-held dream, McKinnon is still pinching herself.
"It hasn't fully sunk in yet," the 18-year-old told ACM on Sunday.
Coming on at five-eighth in the 56th minute, she can't really remember too many specifics of the game itself. Like for many in the same situation, it is all a bit of a blur.
"I was only thinking about that [Saturday] night when I got home, I barely remember much of what happened on the field at all," she said.
What happened was, she helped steer the Waratahs to a 29-nil victory and showed she is far from out of place in the Super W environment.
One of the biggest moments of her life, it was all the more special being able to share it with her parents Lorraine and Rodney, and boyfriend Dylan Walker. They flew down to watch, and McKinnon said catching up with them after the game was pretty emotional.
"[Waratahs head coach] Campbell (Aitken) invited them back to the sheds so they got to watch me get presented with my cap," she said.
"They have sacrificed a lot for me to get to where I am so very grateful that they were there."
Becoming the 13th player to debut in the blue this season, now she has got a taste of it, she wants more.
"That's my goal especially going into next year," McKinnon said.
"To make the squad again and then hopefully get more minutes."
Not really expecting too much to come of it when she was first invited by Aitken to be part of the pre-season squad, she has been loving every minute of the adventure so far.
"I could not ask for a better group of girls, they're so supportive and they have taken me in so well. Especially all the older girls; they've pretty much taken me under their wing and it's been really good," she said.
Being surrounded by Wallaroos, and Waratahs stalwarts, she has been like a sponge soaking up everything that she can.
"I've learnt so much in my time down here and just grown as a player," she said.
More than that, she has grown as a person.
"It's just opened my eyes so much as to what it's really like," she said.
"It's been a big change, big move."
And, just in case she needs a reminder of how much her life has changed, she only needs to scroll through the photos on her phone.
She told of having a memory flash up from about four years ago when Central North played a trial as a curtain raiser for a Waratahs trial game.
"It was photos of me in Central North gear with all the Tahs girls," she recalled.
"And I was like how things have changed, now I've got the jersey on and I'm playing with them."
The win saw the Waratahs finish on top and sets up a semi-final against the Drua on Sunday. McKinnon is hopeful, but doesn't expect to play in that.
But she is content with that and will be there cheering them on, as she has all season, just wanting to soak the whole experience up.
Once it all wraps up she will turn her attention to the Jack Scott Cup, which she has signed to play with Easts in.
It will see her reunite with a couple of Central North team-mates with Martha Harvey and Eliza O'Donnell also at Easts.
