"If you want to go somewhere you need to ask and take the opportunity; don't just wait for it to come to you."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
These were wise words from 16-year-old Singleton High School student Sophie Clancy as she and her three representative league tag teammates posed for a group photo alongside 19 Singleton boys ahead of this weekend's Hunter Cup.
But for Clancy they were justified after she was separated from the pack a few years earlier.
"I started playing when I was about 10 with Goofy (Glen Maytom) as my coach and I played league until under-12s where they said girls have to stop," Clancy recalled.
"It (absolutely) sucked.
"All the boys were still the same size as me then so I thought I should have been able to keep playing until I could physically get hurt and then stop."
Fast forward to last month and the talented half-back would proudly stand alongside her Singleton under-16 teammates Caitlan Warren, Ruby Bennett and Jules Kirkpatrick while donning the Group 21 colours.
"It's an accomplishment for girls across the sport to stand in that representative photo with the boys," she added.
"It's great to see the sport progress and eventually it will be as important as the boys. "You feel proud knowing you can get to such a high level.
"Going from what it was a few years ago to what is available now gives me hope that there will be a proper Group 21 Rugby League for girls one day."