Something that was ingrained in her from a young age, it's a principle the 23-year-old has long lived by, and why she's not taking her selection in the Waratahs Super W squad for granted.

The former Pirates captain and proud Manilla product was on Tuesday unveiled in the 31-strong squad for the long-time powerhouses' 2024 campaign.

Joined in the squad by Narrabri's Martha Harvey, Ferguson is excited for the opportunity in front of her but trying not to think too far ahead to what could be.

As she put it: "the job's not over yet".

"Everything's earned, I understand that," she said.

"Just because I'm in the 31 doesn't mean that I automatically get to pull on that jersey this year and debut."

"So I'm just trying to stick to my learnings, keep working hard, and keep trying to do whatever I can to make the coaches think that I'm ready for that."

Part of the extended squad last year but missing out on the final squad, the outside back says she is a very different player to 12 months ago.

Not just in her technique and understanding of her role, but the way that she sees the game.

Having played barely a handful of 15s games then, now she's "looking for those things" that she "wouldn't normally look for".

"Playing at home you just see the space and run," Ferguson said.

"I think I've developed a lot more as a player in terms of not just identifying the space but those opportunities on the edges or in the middle."

Mentally and physically too she is in a lot better shape.

Without the constraints of juggling study, work and travelling back-and-forth from Tamworth three days a week for training, she has been able to really throw everything she has into the last two months.

By her own admission she probably didn't have the capacity to do that last year, especially by the end.

"I think by this time last year I just hit a bit of a roadblock," Ferguson said.

"I was really fatigued and was the lightest I've ever been.

"And I was struggling a bit in terms of the content and trying to get my sleep in while travelling, and everything was a bit much."

On Monday she'd travel down to Sydney to train for two hours, then travel back that night ready to go to work as a school learning support officer (SLSO) on Tuesday.

"Then I'd get up on the Wednesday and do the same thing, travel down to Sydney, train for those couple of hours and travel home that night, then work the Thursday and Friday."

She'd then travel down to Sydney again after work on Friday for training on Saturday.

"There was just no way that I could 100 per cent commit to being a professional athlete when I had so many things going on," Ferguson acknowledges.

A subscriber to Aristotle's theory that everything happens for a reason, as tough as it was it "solidified" that this was something she wanted to pursue.

She wanted to be part of the full-time squad and wanted "to be debuting in that jersey".

Fellow Pirate Erika Maslen and Armidale's Anastasia Martin were meanwhile named in the Brumbies squad and Warialda's Tiarna Molloy the Reds squad.