RUGBY league gala days are, by definition, one-off occasions. When the Illawarra Rugby League held its first such day for women a decade ago, those pioneers thought that's as far as it would go.
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Wests, Berkeley, Appin, Port Kembla and Corrimal all fielded teams in the round robin competition that was ultimately taken out by UOW. They were humble beginnings.
What would come of it was a mystery to Alysha Janssen who, along with fellow club stalwart Ainsley Langston, was there at the beginning of what's become an unbroken decade-long run for the Berkeley Eagles in the Illawarra Women's League.
Janssen says even thinking it would last that long was the height of optimism at the time.
"My family's from Berkeley, my brother played for Berkeley all through his juniors and I wanted to play just like him," she recalls.
"My parents were quite hesitant to start with because I was so small back then. I played a little bit of OzTag and Touch but not too much so it was all quite new to me.
"It was a group of girls hat were all in the same boat as me and had never played footy before. It was a very fresh inexperienced team, I don't think any of us really knew what to expect.
"Back then our finals day was more of a round robin gala day and we definitely didn't think it would progress to the level that it has now. Certainly the NRLW seemed like something that would never happen back then."
That gala day, and the seasons that followed, were not a first for the Illawarra region that boasts a history as rich as any when it comes to women's league.
It started with legendary league pioneer Tarsha Gale and 'the unbeatables', the all-conquering Bulli side that also included Natalie Dwyer, Sherilee Moulds and Julie McGuffie.
The quartet were all part of the Australian side edged about by New Zealand the inaugural women's Trans-Tasman Test in 1995. The Steelers currently hold the trophy that bears Gale's name.
It was the start of a rich tradition, but it was only after that gala day in 2010 that league took the plunge in instituting it's first women's competition a year later.
The Eagles have been part of every season since, including the wilderness years after the club was forced to drop out of the first grade competition in 2014. It was the women's team that kept the Eagles' heart beating.
"My first year of footy our reggies side won the competition but as the years went on it went downhill a little bit and I think the women really held the club together," Janssen said.
"The men have always been super supportive, even if they're struggling week to week they get down and support us and I think we've brought some excitement at different times.
"They always joke that we hold the club together and they've been nothing but supportive to us so we're really appreciative of the club."
The Eagles aren't alone in holding that distinction, with the league's current reigning champions Corrimal also there from day dot. For current coach and longtime skipper Alicia-Kate Hawke it was a step into the unknown.
"I just turned up to have a bit of a run at one session and see what was happening," Hawke recalls.
"It was still very raw, there were girls who'd played some level of sports, even some that had never played sport before learning to catch and pass.
"A couple of girls had played when they were younger but there were a huge amount of us who'd never played footy at all, some who'd never played sport at all.
"Its the good thing about rugby league is that some of our bigger stronger girls didn't feel they fit in in other sports but, in rugby league they have a great place in the game."
The impact of the league and its longevity isn't restricted to the Illawarra region. The competition has produced a staggering number of Jillaroos and NSW representatives.
In that regard, Helensburgh can lay claim to one of the richest traditions of any club, regional or otherwise, since current coach Sam Bremner decided to put together a team ahead of the 2011 season.
The last three Women's State of Origin-winning skippers for NSW - Ruan Sims, Maddie Studdon and incumbent Kezie Apps - have all worn the Tigerlillies jumper.
Now a star for NSW, Australia and the Dragons NRLW side, Studdon can still clearly remember receiving that first call from Bremner.
"I'd played touch footy with Sammy and when she called me that night I was out at Penrith playing touch," Studdon said.
"She said 'I'm starting up a rugby league team for Helensburgh, would you like to play?' I said 'yeah for sure I'd love to'. I was 16 so I was still really young.
"I didn't know much about Helensburgh or anything down [the Illawarra] way because I'm from the city but I just knew if she was making a team it'd be special because she's a switched on woman.
"We had no idea what to expect, we were just having a good time playing. I didn't know there was an Interstate Challenge or a Jillaroos team or anything like that.
"We were there for four years, we got selected in the Illawarra team and that's how we first got selected for NSW so we were really fortunate to have that pathway.
"Now the girls down there have Tarsha Gale Cup and all those things so it's unbelievable to see how far it's come."
Bremner was the inaugural skipper for the Dragons NRLW side last season and, even through pregnancy, has taken the coaching reins with the Tigerlillies this year.
Hawke has also taken charge of the Cougars who are edging towards defending their 2018 title, while she's also a key member of Daniel Lacey's NRLW staff alongside Bremner.
Janssen first took charge of the Eagles women's side in 2015, a first for the league, and has since moved into the junior rep sphere as head coach of Canterbury's Tarsha Gale Cup side.
Both agree that the number of women now taking important off-field roles has been the biggest change over the last decade.
"It wasn't something I ever thought about before I got injured, there didn't seem to be any female coaches doing it, we were starting to play and that was it," Janssen said.
"When I had my injury [in 2014] I wanted to stay involved with the game and someone suggested it. I was really nervous and hesitant because I hadn't seen that before.
"What you see now there's female referees, trainers, coaches, there's female staff everywhere so it's not just playing there's other avenues for us to contribute in."
Hawke echoed the sentiment, saying the number of women moving into coaching roles is what can really take the game to the next level.
"There's huge opportunities for players now it's really nice for some of us old girls coming to the end of playing still have opportunities to be involved in the game," Hawke said.
"Coaching is a big part of that. A lot of our staff trainers, managers, coaches are all current or ex players. It's something you see a lot in the men's game but it wasn't like that in women's footy.
"That's been a huge change and it's cool to see respectful opportunities, not just for the sake of it, people have earned it with their time and effort."
They're trailblazers in their own right but Hawke says the 10-year milestone makes her reflect on all the pioneers that came before - not necessarily on the field.
"I went to a few of the early meetings with Julie Nicholl and Leann Andrews and I've got fond memories of seeing those two women be really passionate about getting it rolling," Hawke said.
"I've learned more since then about how hard they had to fight just to get it off the ground. We still have challenges now but they were up against it big time back then trying to change peoples' perceptions.
"From a players perspective it as all a bit scary and new but looking back it was really cool seeing all the energy in that room with Leann and with Julie and number of other people who probably didn't realise it would be around as long as it has."
That fact is something Hawke has certainly never taken for granted, having endured season where numbers and interest waned enough to put the league in jeopardy.
We've seen so many come and go but it's cool that there's there's a little core of girls who've been there to watch it evolve.
- Alicia-Kate Hawke
Those days now seem long gone, but it doesn't leave her feeling any less fortunate.
"It's cool that's it's happened for so long and we've seen so many come and go but there's a little core of girls who've been there to watch it evolve," Hawke said.
"There were a couple of years where it started to dwindle and we were a bit worried it was all going to collapse but I'm glad it's lasted this long and it's still growing as the years go on."