The last two years have been a whirlwind in the eyes of Jada Taylor.
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The Tamworth born-and-raised speedster shot out of relative obscurity in mid-2022 with a 109-metre try for the NSW under 19s that went viral and thrust her into Australian rugby league stardom.
She made her NRLW debut for the Roosters later that year, before signing with the Cronulla Sharks in 2023 and battling through an injury-riddled season.
But now, as she speaks to the Leader less than two weeks out from the 2024 NRLW opener, one senses that the waters of Taylor's life have begun to calm.
"I'm feeling really good," she said.
"It's nice to be back and be confident that everything's fixed up and I'm ready to go again. I came into preseason ready to go, and it's nice knowing I've had a whole preseason under my belt."
The 20-year-old's peace of mind is due to more than just a full on-field preparation.
The presence of her partner, Cody Byrne (who moved to Sydney after wrapping up one last campaign with the Dungowan Cowboys last year), has helped the country girl feel more at ease than ever in the big smoke.
She's even gotten him to don his chef's hat from time to time.
"[Cody's presence] has definitely made it a little bit sweeter," Taylor said.
"I'm so used to having the girls that I play with as a second family, so to have him here is really special. It makes it easy when I come home from training and he's got dinner ready for me.
"It definitely puts a smile on my face and makes me very grateful."
With her body sorted and her home life in a good place, Taylor has begun to shoulder more responsibility within the Sharks camp.
As the squad prepares for their first-round meeting with the North Queensland Cowboys on July 27, Taylor has found herself passing on wisdom to some of her newer teammates and the youngsters in the Sharks program.
"When you know your role and you've had a couple of years in it, you can start trying to help other people as well," she said.
"Being in a role like fullback, you've got to have a bit of confidence and be able to talk to the team. You're yelling pretty much the whole game, so I guess it becomes second nature to talk to people."
After a pause, she chuckled and said "I hope they listen to me sometimes".
The Sharks by no means disgraced themselves in 2023, but mercurial performances consigned them to a mid-ladder finish.
This, Taylor said, is because they "probably lost a bit of focus" due to the excitement around the club's NRLW debut.
But a strong showing in last weekend's trial game against the Roosters, which resulted in a 20-all draw, has bolstered Cronulla's confidence and showed that they can mix it with the top sides in the competition.
"I think there's a little bit more hunger this year," she said.
"I feel like last year we cruised through. We were the inaugural [Sharks NRLW] team, we felt a little bit of hype around that.
"This year, we've definitely sat back, looked at ourselves, and said 'Let's be special this year'."
