Olympic gold medals rarely come with regret. Dragons flyer Emma Tonegato certainly wouldn't trade hers for anything.
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Rio Olympic gold in 2016 was the ultimate pay-off to her decision switch from rugby league to Rugby 7s almost a decade ago.
The NRLW had barely been thought of when she was part of the Jillaroos 2013 World Cup-winning side that snapped New Zealand's previously unbroken hold on the silverware.
She returned from what was largely a self-funded tour with little on offer but the next Cup in 2017. Switching to Rugby 7s as a full-time professional was a no-brainer.
She wouldn't change it, but the now 27-year-old admits she'd have a very different decision to make if she arrived at the same fork in the road today.
"What really lured me to 7s was the Olympic gold medal [pursuit] and the opportunity to be a full-time athlete which, at the time, wasn't there in rugby league," Tonegato said.
"There's definitely no regrets over that decision but I think at this point in time, the more the NRLW gets in the media and is on TV and the game grows, it would really be a tough decision now."
You don't have to look far to see how athletes, particularly female athletes, benefit from the opportunity to be full-time professionals.
Tonegato was on Thursday named as one of three finalists for the RLPA's Players Champion award - along with Dragons teammate Elsie Albert.
Also on that five-player shortlist is Titans fullback Evania Pelite, a Rio gold medal-winning teammate of Tongeto. The pair will go head-to-head in the respective No. 1 jumpers in Sunday's semi-final.
If they have looked stronger, fitter, faster on the switch to NRLW, it's because they are.
Tonegato's highlight reel cover tackle of Jess Sergis last week was dismissed by the woman herself as "an everyday occurrence" in her 7s career.
It doesn't account for nuance, nor does it suggest any superiority of one game over the other. It does, however, say everything about the superiority of professionalism over semi-professionalism.
It's worth pondering amid the ongoing equal pay debate in most elite female sports, a relatively new one in rugby league. More so when the odd stegosaurus trots out the tired "it doesn't generate the same revenue" argument.
Whatever you think about that, we can all agree our game's elite female players shouldn't lose money, or burn through all their work entitlements, to play at the top level.
To grow revenue, you must first grow the product. In the immediate term it would require only a modest investment from a game that last year spruiked a $50 million profit.
Read more: Rookie Dragons halves having a debutant ball
Anyone who hasn't enjoyed watching Tonegato and Pelite go about their business isn't worth considering.
What they demonstrate, along with the likes of Charlotte Caslick previously, are the benefits of actual professionalism.
You're not going to see a production line of Tonegatos - her talent's not the type that can be manufactured - but going full-time will see a major jump in overall athletic standard.
"You can see every girl that's come from 7s, if they've been in the [professional] program for six months, a year, two years, has really excelled in the NRLW," Tonegato said.
"I think it just shows that female athletes really respond to that full-time environment and, given the opportunity, I think [more] will prove to be awesome athletes and great ambassadors for the game.
"At the moment it is such a short season - it's only five games - so I'd love to see that extended. The game's grown so much and, as with anything, the more opportunities there are the standard's just going to increase.
"I think the chance to train professionally and play is going to entice more girls to the game which increases the performance and standard as well."
Dragons NRLW coach Jamie Soward has certainly seen that in the performance of his superstar No. 1 this season.
"The thing with Emma is she's professionally got her body in shape for a long time," Soward said.
"You wouldn't run an NRL side after a six-week pre-season and that's what we're asking these girls to do, on top of work.
"There's no doubt we want more games, we want a longer season. The opportunity to have a longer pre-season and have it be a bit more full-time would probably be the start before you go into more games and longer seasons.
"You can see with Emma, everything she does is top class and you can tell she's been a professional for a long time now."
It's a level of class that would almost certainly result in representative jumpers and a likely crack at a second World Cup triumph at the end of 2022.
She would be a raging favourite for the Blues No. 1 jumper if she chooses to go down the NSW Women's Premiership path.
Tonegato says she will give more thought to the future when her side's NRLW campaign wraps - hopefully on a triumphant grand final day.
"I was just planning on playing this season and I'll reassess after that,' she said.
"I'm working full-time and I've just got out of that full-time athlete situation.
"My plan was always to just enjoy my time here and get the season done and reassess after that."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
