When Shae Partridge first joined Pirates' women's side she knew little about rugby. She'd never played a game or really even watched one.
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But over the ensuing four seasons the speedster has developed into not only a strike weapon for them, but also a real leader.
That culminated in new coach Jess Middlemiss approaching her early in the 2023 season about captaining the side.
One of the qualities that really stood out to Middlemiss was what a positive influence Partridge is.
"She consistently motivates her team-mates to excel and sets a strong example," she said.
"And her skill in boosting team morale and fostering a positive environment is unparalleled."
She also, she added, always "demonstrates impeccable sportsmanship towards her team, opponents, and officials."
Apparently too, as Partridge has come to learn, she is one of "the most chatty" on the field.
"I always thought I was pretty quiet," she said.
Initially she wasn't quite sure about doing it by herself, but has enjoyed it.
She loves "leading the girls" and being that bit of a guiding hand, and an ear for them if they need someone to talk to.
That's not to say it hasn't been without its challenges.
After the heights of last year's premiership triumph, which Partridge played a key role in, this season has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far.
But there was always going to be a bit of adjusting with a new coach, a lot of new young players and a few of their core players either moving away or not playing.
Consequently it has taken some time, but in recent weeks Partridge feels they have started to utilise their strengths a bit more.
On Saturday they will endeavour to keep their hopes of going back-to-back alive when they take on Scone in the elimination final.
The Brumbies snatched fourth spot from Moree with a 62-12 final round win over Inverell.
Last time the two sides met the Brumbies took it to them. After winning by 70 points in their first clash it was only 38-27.
"But again we didn't play to our strengths," Partridge said.
If they do, she believes they should get the result.
Beaten 52-nil by Narrabri in their last outing, one of the big focuses over the last couple of weeks has been their defensive shape. Particularly compressing more.
It wasn't the ideal result leading into a final but Partridge said they always knew it was "going to be a tough game" with a few people away, herself included, and have put that behind them.
Saturday's final will kick off at Weebolla Oval, Moree, at 11.45am, with the winner advancing to the preliminary final in two weeks.
