Shakiah Tungai's rapid rise to a Jillaroos jumper may seem meteoric to some, but it's absolutely no surprise to Dragons talent-spotter Alicia-Kate Hawke.
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The Illawarra Women's League stalwart was a foundation member of Daniel Lacey's NRLW coaching staff last season.
Being the inaugural season, the club looked to cast a wide recruitment net and Hawke was quick to throw Tungai's name in the mix despite the fact she was only in her first season of rugby league with Avondale.
"When we were first meeting and talking about the Dragons squad we wanted to reward people from the area and we were talking about people that hadn't really had a chance yet," Hawke said.
"There were a couple of names thrown up but they were all regular players we knew who'd been in Illawarra teams before.
"Because it was Shak's first year of playing in the local comp she hadn't really been seen by anyone yet.
"I flagged her as someone who's still up and coming but had ridiculous raw talent. Any time she touched the ball you could see everyone pause for a second.
"You were always worried, was she going to burn you, was she going to chip and chase, was she going barge straight over you."
The tip got Tungai a start in the club's development squad but she quickly became one of the Dragons NRLW stars, earning a Prime Minister's XIII jumper at season's end.
She's gone up a notch this year, making an Origin debut for NSW ahead of a maiden Jillaroos appearance at WIN Stadium on Friday.
It's something Hawke always felt she was destined before but she has been surprised at just how easy she's made it look.
"It hasn't surprised me because I know she's that talented, but in some ways it still surprised me how she can be so calm and collected," Hawke said.
"The awesome thing about Shak is that whether she's about to play for Port Kembla or Australia, her composure and approach to the game is exactly the same. She's super chilled and just does her thing.
"Sometimes the way she runs around in a Jillaroos jumper and you watch her step and burn some of our elite players, it looks like she's playing backyard footy.
"You look that Nines game to be at full pace and put that grubber through for Keeley [Davis] to score under the posts is ridiculous.
"You don't see many players, male or female, in our game be so precise with a kicking game on the run. She's just so good to watch."
It promises to only get better and Hawke said the bona-fide Illawarra product's rise to a Test debut illustrates how important the NRLW competition is.
"It's been great to watch, the NRLW has unleashed an opportunity for a genuine local to achieve all of that," Hawke said.
"Had we not had the NRLW she probably wouldn't have been noticed for NSW and all these teams. It's been really cool to see her come through our local comp to playing footy for Australia."