Eight-hour round trips, planning your 18th birthday party around training and organising lifts; these are just some of the sacrifices Western Rams players have made in 2025.
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They could pay off big time on Saturday (March 29) when they face Northern Rivers Titans in the Women's Country Championships final at Canberra Stadium.
The side coached by Kevin Grimshaw is gunning for back-to-back titles and according to the man himself, it's only down to the sheer dedication and work ethic of the playing group.
The squad trains in Bathurst on weekends, with players travelling from the likes of Nyngan, Narromine and Gulgong.
"The commitments that they've made with all the travel [is outstanding]," he said.
"We've got Danielle Plummer, she's from Nyngan and she hasn't missed a training run.
"She's first there, last to leave and Rebecca Smyth, she's from Narromine, and she hasn't missed a training run.
"There's a lot of girls I could name that have put a lot of commitment into this.
"Chloe Parick from Gulgong, another young girl who has made a lot of sacrifices to be able to play with us as well. She's had a couple of parties on the Saturday night when we train on a Sunday but she's there ready to go.
"For a young girl, that is dedication.
"Even Lara Edwards, she had to plan her 18th birthday party around when we weren't playing. That's a big sacrifice for an 18-year-old girl.
"As a group, that [dedication] is what we wanted to install into the girls from when I took over two years ago and it's really worked."
In facing the Titans, Western comes up against a side remarkably similar.
They won their first match 18-8 against North Coast Bulldogs and then comfortably defeated Northern Tigers 40-6, mirroring Rams' 20-6 victory against Monaro Colts and thumping of Riverina Bulls 66-0.
Grimshaw said while their opponents were a bit of a "mystery", all he wanted from his group was to replicate the effort shown in training.
"We've had a good training run on the weekend. All the girls are ready to go and they know what they've got to do," he said.
"They're a bit of a mystery for us, actually.
"I've watched a little bit of tape on them.
"But our main focus has been really on what we can do and the way we want to play.
"If we play the way that we train and want to play, I think we'll put up a good show against them."
Bright lights await
The women are the only Rams side to make grand final day in the nation's capital.
Grimshaw revealed the Western board had backed them as well, putting the side up in a hotel on Friday and Saturday to give them the best chance of success.
He said the side was pumped to play on the big stage, with the women's game the final match on the day.
"We're taking it as the men are our curtain raiser," he said.
"The girls are super excited about playing at that stadium.
"It's an opportunity that a lot of them probably will never get [again], to play at a big stadium like that."
Western Rams grand final team
1. Tiana Anderson, 2. Sophie Tillburg, 3. Alahna Ryan, 4. Meredith Jones, 5. Lara Edwards, 6. Carly Abbott, 7. Sarah Colman, 8. Kate Gullifer, 9. Xanthe Booth, 10. Danielle Plummer, 11. Rebecca Smyth, 12. Cheynoah Amone, 13. Lilly Baker. Interchange: Nicole Schneider, Maggie Townsend, Chloe Patrick, Grace Blackmore, Meelah Lawton-Rei
Dominic Unwin
Sports reporter covering the length and breadth of Western NSW since 2024. Got a yarn? Send me an email via dominic.unwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
