The organisation is keen to dispel the conception among the broader community that they just care for old leaguies.

That might have been the case once but they are increasingly helping, through various means, more children and women, especially as womens involvement in the sport grows.

Over the last year or so alone, the Tamworth sub-branch has provided a framed print for the Kate McDonald fundraising night and helped out with expenses for two other girls/women battling health issues.

“We started out looking after old fellas that were doing it tough,” Tamworth sub-branch committee president Kevin Robinson said.

“Over the years we’ve realised that we want to get more women involved.” 

It was one of the main talking points at their conference earlier in the year – getting more women involved in MOL. On the committees and coming to their functions.

As Robinson said, they are, and have long been, the backbone of the rugby league community.

“In Tamworth alone we’ve got one lady that has worked in the tuckshop for 50 years,” he said.

The advent of Ladies League Tag has also seen the need for support increase, and speaking at Monday’s annual raffle draw Greater Northern Tigers and Kootingal captain Kimberley Resch said as a player to know that support was there, is great.

“They (MOL) do so much for the community, and a lot of it behind the scenes,” she said. 

“I think it’s great that they are involving kids and women.”

“Womens league has grown so much, it’s going through the roof.” 

It is exciting times ahead for the womens game with the inaugural North West Rugby League 9’s competition set to kick-off next year.

“We’ll have a training run soon,” Resch said.

“The most important thing is learning the right technique.”

Her understanding is that it will be a six-week competition and end just before the league tag competition gets underway, allowing players to play both.