Jacky Lyden looking to pass knowledge on to the next generation

Lyden loves her sport like nearly no-one else in Orange, and can talk until the cows come home about anything and everything on the field - and when Jacky Lyden talks about sport, you listen.

It's hard to even begin to write about Lyden's sporting accomplishments - over the past decade she'd have arguably played more games of sport than anyone else in Orange.

She's lined up on the netball court - most recently for Vipers - over the past two decades, while also being a mainstay League Tag gun - for Hawks - and also lining up for Orange Vipers in the Western Women's Rugby League competition.

However, in the past few years Lyden has found her home on the field at Endeavour Oval for Emus and by extension - because she's one of those people who excel at any sport they try their hands at - in representative rugby union sides across the region, the country and, now, the world.

Lyden's only recently returned from the Philippines, where she represented the host nation - her home country - in rugby sevens at the South East Asian Games.

It was her second run on the international stage after claiming gold at the Asia Rugby Women's Sevens Trophy in Jakarta in August.

While they didn't claim gold this time around, Lyden and her teammates were still stoked to come home with silver in the "unreal" tournament after going down 17-7 to Thailand in the decider, with the medal being the Philippines' first SEA Games medal in sevens.

The Thai side has been professional and playing division one for years, while the Filipino side only graduated to that level after their win in Jakarta and had been "flogged" by Thailand in the group game days before the final.

"For the first time it was a close game, 17-7 and we came out firing and we were happy with the result. We knew they were going to be tough," Lyden said.

"The coach spoke to us about what his expectations were, our defence needed to be faster and get off the ruck really quickly just to match them.

"I think we did well and everyone was really happy."

She's planning to go back next year to take part in "at least two legs" of the three-leg Asian Trophy Series.

But what drives Lyden to get to that level is far more than medals - in fact, the medal has almost been used more to try and drive Orange's next generation of sports stars than it has been to drive Lyden.

"I'm not about the accolades, I'm about what else can I grab? If I'm exposed to excellent coaching from Brumbies squads, in the Central West, the Philippines ... that's what I'm passionate about because I can hand it down to the kids," she said.

"You're never too old for learning and I pass it on to my kids here at school ... I think 'this is stuff I can teach them'."

Lyden is a Physical Education teacher at Orange High School and like so many of the PE teachers up there spends her weekends playing alongside and against her students, which she said she hopes will drive them.

"It doesn't matter what sport you play, you look at it and think 'if Lydo can do it maybe I can have a crack'," she said.

The growth of full-contact footy in the region has also been something she's loved.

"And I love it, it's my passion. The tackle and running hard, they're the two main things I love," Lyden said.

"It's developing, the growth of league and union and all these male-dominated sports are just burning the fuel in these young girls.

"I don't expect to be in the Australian team but I want to show the kids they can do it and you're never too old. I want them to see if it's a passion for them, keep going.

"That's all I really get excited about, teaching these kids."

At 38, Lyden knows she might not have long on the sporting arena - or rather, arenas - left, but isn't leaving anything in the tank.

"It's just kick-starting for them and it's nearly finished for me. I might only have two or one good years left in me but I want to show you just have to have the drive," she said.

Even after a stellar, phenomenal year where she ticked off more major goals in 12 months than most non-professional sportsmen and women tick off in a lifetime, Lyden still has that drive.

In 2019 alone, she was part of the ACT Brumbies' Super W squad alongside Emus, Vipers and Hawks teammate Em McDonald before being hit with injury, and made the Central West side and shared in the spoils of Caldwell Cup wins - and earned a call-up to the Corellas in the process.

She also made a grand final for Emus, semi-finals for Hawks in league tag and was part of the premiership-winning Vipers' WWRL side and a preliminary final with Vipers.

She also landed an international gig with the Philippines and won and international gold and silver medal.

Again, all that in 2019 alone.

You ask her how she does it, at 38 and with three young children and a full-time job, and she kind of laughs.

"I don't actually know how I did it this year," she said.

She'll be cutting back next year, she said - well, a little.

Lyden won't be gunning for a Super W spot in 2020, and has said after 20 years on the court she will give netball away, jokingly saying she can't give up league tag with husband Marty still coaching the Hawks' side.

But she's hunting a spot in the Western Rams' nines side after making the squad earlier in the summer.

While racking up yet another representative shirt would be another tick on her extraordinary sporting CV, for Lyden it gives her a chance to pick the brains of more coaches and bring what she learns at a higher level back to students of the game in Orange - which is what she's done since returning from the Philippines.

"Coming back and showing them my medal, it shows the value of hard work," she said.

"If you're willing to put in the work you can achieve anything and I want to pass it on, that's why I'm here. That's why I keep pushing myself.

"I don't keep it inside me. If you're willing to learn I'm willing to teach you and I love doing that ... if I'm playing with them or against them. If you're playing with them you can pass that on."