Courtney Crawford's squad will look to complete an unbeaten run through the nine-round regular season when they host Cronulla at Collegians on Saturday, with an eye towards etching the Steelers emblem on the trophy for the second time in its six-year existence.

They'll head in having claimed four of their seven victories without conceding a point, having conceded just one try, to two-time defending premiers the Roosters Indigenous Academy, in their past six outings.

They've racked up a staggering 240 points in that period to sit top of the ladder.

The dominance of the scarlet and white is a throwback to the origins of women's rugby league in the region that saw Gale become part of a Bulli, and later Illawarra side dubbed the 'Invincibles' of women's league given the dominance it enjoyed over rivals.

It was so dominant, that 10 of the first 16 names on the overall Jillaroos honour roll are products of those Illawarra teams, including Gale.

Now a regular commentator on the competition named in her honour, Gale feels Crawford's Steelers exhibit the same aura of invincibility this season.

"The Steelers always have a soft spot with me, and they've always managed finals footy, but this year I just cannot see a team that's going to deny them grand final victory, no way," Gale said.

"It's so good because I know all the people involved are putting in so much effort and the Illawarra is such a fabulous nursery. It's really good to see it, not just come to fruition, but some really outstanding players coming through.

"When Tarsha Gale Cup first started you could easily pick out the stars, but now in defence and attack, it's all team effort and it has to be.

"There's no one superstar that comes out of each team and wins a game for you like the Keeley Davis' or, Quincy Dodd's in the early days.

"The whole team has just lifted in levels across the board and there's no surprises there, the Illawarra being the nursery that it is.

"With the Lisa Fiaola Cup now, we're getting these girls even younger again coming through with the great coaches and being treated like real athletes. I think the sky's the limit there."

Brad Reh's 6-1 Lisa Fiaola Cup 9 (Under 17s) side will also be looking to punch its top-two ticket against the Sharks on Saturday, with the fact two Steelers sides are in the hunt for junior reps silverware a welcome development for St George Illawarra coach Jamie Soward.

Having witnessed the evolution of the NRLW competition, including last year's expansion season that saw the much wider dispersal of the game's marquee talent, Gale says sustained success in the women's elite competition can only come on the back of solid pathways.

"We've got 13 teams in the [NSWRL] pathways and there's no doubt that, if you want an NRLW license, or if you want to be successful in NRLW, then you've got to have your pathways," Gale said.

"All the clubs are realising that and all of the clubs are showing the respect to these young women that are coming through the pathways. You can sign them on multi-year deals, that was unheard of a couple of years ago.

"If you're properly developing players, you're not going to lose them left, right and centre to rival clubs who are just poaching them because you've brought them through and you're signing them for multiple years.

"The growth of the game is fabulous and then the fans can actually watch these young women come through all the way through as a Bunny or as a Steeler and they've really got that club loyalty. It's great to see that."

The Steelers pathways strength is timely given the overhaul of the elite women's competitions this year that will see the Harvey Norman Women's Premiership start pushed back to July to align with the NRLW season.

With the game's top stars to be on NRLW duty, a club's success in the state premiership will depend on how well it can funnel junior rep talent into the open age competition, with Gale saying the shift "had to happen" for the game to evolve.

"We need a reserve grade to the NRLW, and kudos to New South Wales [Rugby League] for actually taking that step," Gale said.

"It's a double-edged sword with the lack of experience that the elite girls will now have going into the first (Women's) Origin. I'm concerned about that, but I'm watching the BMD (Queensland Cup) and a lot of our NSW players are playing up there.

"You've got the likes of Keilee Joseph, Kezie Apps, Keeley Davis, Olivia Kernick, both Southwell sisters. It's good that they're getting some game practice up there, but NSW and Queensland have to get their comps together and align to make the future smoother for the women's game.

"I think it's a bold move and, looking at those (Illawarra) Tarsha Gale players, all those positions will open up in the Harvey Norman Women's Premiership now.

"Those girls will come off the back of this competition and then into Harvey Norman already match-fit, so it's only going to make these players better."