Paige Leonard admits she does sometimes have to pinch herself about the year that she has had.
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Like a butterfly shedding its cocoon, the Tamworth prop has emerged from the shadow of partner and Magpies men's front-rower Harry Mills, and to an extent her league-playing brothers Zack and Riley, to be recognised as not only one of the best players at the club but across the NSW Country women's ranks.
On Wednesday the newly-turned 25-year-old is set to pull on Country colours for the first time as the Corellas begin their Australian Rugby Shield campaign in Brisbane.
Something that seemed "pretty unimaginable" to her even only a few months ago, Leonard confessed to feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
"I'm pretty nervous, I'm not going to lie," she said.
"Obviously my first time going, it's a bit overwhelming."
But exciting at the same time.
"I'm definitely excited for the new experience," she said.
"It will be good to push my skills, see how far I can push myself."
It has however meant while her Magpies team-mates have been enjoying the first throws of the off-season she has had to keep up the training.
Fortunately she has had a willing training partner in Mills.
"Some training sessions have been better than others; typical partner blews I guess you could call it," she joked.
"But it's definitely been good.
"He's definitely helped a lot. Lots of scrumming.. lots of tackling.. getting my technique better so I'm more competitive up there."
Those sessions have been on top of her regular twice-weekly trainings with her personal trainer Georgia Manvell, who she gives a lot of the credit to for getting her in the physical shape to be able to handle the rigours of that next level.
The tournament will be the culmination of a big few weeks for Leonard, after picking up major awards for the zone and the Magpies.
Firstly at the New England grand finals she was named the [women's] John Hipwell Rep Player of the Year.
She then cleaned up at the Tamworth presentation.
Along with being recognised as the best forward for the women's 10s side, she also won the Bernard Bentley Trophy for the Player of the Year across the whole club and the Adrian Klasen Memorial Award for the Front Rower of the Year.
"I think there was a jealous someone in our household," she joked about the latter, referring to Mills.
"He's always wanted it."
The first female player to win the award, the honour and significance isn't lost on Leonard.
"That was a pretty big thing for me, and I think for the club as well to recognise women in rugby as equals," she said.
Due to play South Australia first-up, she will be joined in the sunburnt orange and black by Gunnedah's Emmy Barr and Piper Rankmore, Quirindi's Georgia Moore and St Albert's Tahlia Morgan.
Tamworth's Erika Maslen and Armidale's Anastasia Martin will meanwhile suit up for the ACT & SNSW Kestrels and Inverell's Mikalya Crisp the Australian Defence Force team.
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday will be pool games with the finals to be played on Monday.
