The club will hold its annual ladies’ day, where this year the focus will be on raising funds for research and local support for motor neurone disease.

Alongside the action on the field, there will be raffles, an exclusive women-only area, guest speakers and first-grade players calcutta auction.

And top-of-mind will be people like club life members Graham Yeo and Daryl Bath, who both live with motor neurone disease.

One of the volunteers for the event, Tamworth Queen of Country Music Alexandra Kellahan, urged people to get behind the day that would get behind locals.

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“Pirates Rugby Club is well-known as a family club; the players and club members are not only passionate about the sport of rugby itself, [they] are also deeply passionate about making a difference within the community,” she said,

Social co-ordinator Stephanie Walsh said the club tried every year to pick a ladies’ day charity that would allow the proceeds to be used locally.

“Both Graham and Daryl are long-serving club members and life members, so we want to give back to them because they’ve given so much to us over the years.”

Mrs Walsh said the two men’s wives, Helen Yeo and Debra Bath, would speak about the disease and its effects on everyday life.

Ms Kellahan, who with Princess of Country Music Chey Conlon will be helping to rustle up donations for the cause, said the day highlighted “the determination of our young women to make a difference within the sporting community”.

​“This charity hits home for the Pirates Rugby Club.”

Game-wise, it will be the Pirates versus the Gunnedah Red Devils, and kicking off the day will be the men’s under-19s at 11.45am.

They will be followed by the open women’s sevens, men’s reserve grade, open women’s sevens and men’s first-grade.

It’s the first year the women have played for competition points, and after a couple of games this year they are undefeated.