'It just blew me away': Sophie rallies the club she loves for a great cause

The 29-year-old's parents are sponsors of the Cowboys, their local club, while her youngest brother, Jack, is the first grade co-coach in 2024 and the middle child of the family, Blake, has also played for them.

"I grew up on the sidelines, cheering and sitting on the hay trailers," Pezzuto said.

"We live locally, so it's always been a strong connection to the club. My family's one of the sponsors, and we grew up here as kids running amok at half time on the field.

"It's nice being back here as a senior player."

So when it came time for the Cowgirls to organise their Ladies Day fundraiser, Pezzuto put her hand up to help.

The choice of which cause to support was put to the women's side by coach Natasha Allan. They voted in favour of breast cancer research.

"I think everyone has a connection to breast cancer," Pezzuto said.

"We've had family members and friends who have been diagnosed in the past, so it's definitely something we wanted to get around. And it really resonates with the girls as well."

Ultimately, the fundraiser brought in over $5,000, which Pezzuto said "just blew me away".

She didn't know what to expect from the day, as it relies heavily on the generosity of spectators and sponsors which can be unpredictable. On Saturday, however, they were in a giving mood.

"The fact that we got so many people who attended the day and were happy to dig deep ... it's a great effort," Pezzuto said.

The organisers elected to hold their Ladies Day in conjunction with their second-round meeting with the North Tamworth Bears.

This, Pezzuto said, was because the two clubs had always maintained a fierce but respectful rivalry.

"It's a really good playing relationship we have, it's one of the reasons we chose this round," Pezzuto said.

"It's always such a tough battle on the paddock, and then we turn around and have a good time. We've got a few Bears players sitting with us in the tent today, so we can have a big celebration."

Their round 12 fixture on Saturday resulted in a 20-0 defeat for the Cowgirls against the top-ranked Bears women.

However, North Tamworth coach Damian Kenniff said "the scoreline didn't reflect the game".

In fact, he believes it was one of their most challenging of the season.

"It was their Ladies Day, they had everything to play for and it was a tough game," Kenniff said.

"It was one of our toughest games all year."

Likewise, Pezzuto felt that the Dungowan women "can hold our heads up" after a determined effort against the reigning premiers.

"We're beyond stoked with the effort," she said.

"We're proud that we held our own. The scoreline doesn't always reflect the game that was played, and even towards the end we were doing it for our mates beside us.

"I think we really channelled the Ladies Day theme today."