She's played at the highest level, but Kate Brown isn't immune to the odd twinkle of jealousy at the opportunities and pathways available to young girls these days to pursue their rugby dreams.
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Not that she begrudges them at all.
It's great to see, she said.
"Out at Narrabri we've got a couple of young girls that have gone right through the pathway system," the former Wallaroo said.
"And just the talent they have compared to back when we started."
Their experience is chalk and cheese to her own.
Brown reflected on how down in Canberra, before the advent of the Super W program, they would do window washing on the corner of the traffic lights to raise money to "go to nationals and stuff".
"Now having everything covered is amazing. Not being financially out of pocket makes a big difference to getting girls involved that probably wouldn't be able to in other circumstances," she said.
She spent eight years in the Brumbies set-up and was a member of Australia's 2017 World Cup squad.
But it was "pretty tough" breaking into the system.
An apprentice mechanic back in those days, and living two hours out of Canberra - in Jindabyne - Brown said she was "just lucky that I had a good boss that helped me out a fair bit".
"But there were very talented girls that financially couldn't do it back in the day and so it's good now that there is that bit more support behind it to help," she said.
Now settled in Narrabri, Brown is co-coaching the Blue Boars women's side alongside good friend and fellow former Brumby Peta Cox, and Will Guest, and also lacing up the boots.
And next month she will suit up for Central North at the Country Championships in Tamworth.
"I was pretty keen to have a run, and me and Peta kind of said if you do it I'll do it," she said.
One last rep hurrah, so to speak, it will be her first competitive 15s rugby since her last game for the Brumbies, "four or five" years ago now.
"I blew my knee out and I haven't played 15s since," she said.
The Kookaburras came together for the first time since the final squad was named on Sunday, having a training run before playing a trial against New England.
"It was fun having a hit out today and getting your head back around it and remembering there is a lot of players on the field," Brown joked.
She is excited about the squad, particularly the young talent, and how things are coming together.
"We're starting to get our shape and structure a lot more and everyone's kind of starting to get their heads around it," she said.
It won't be her first association with the Kookaburras rep program.
A few years ago Brown helped coach the under-15 girls. Some of those she is now playing alongside and against, which has been "pretty funny" she said.
"It's like are you old enough, surely not," she joked.
It is though exciting to see how they have come along, she said, remarking that there is "so much talent now".
Kookaburras coach Jeremy Maslen was very happy with Sunday, for their first hit out.
"There were more positives than negatives", he said.
They have another training run in a fortnight in Gunnedah.
The Central North men will meanwhile begin their campaign this Sunday with an open training run at Gunnedah. Anyone interested in playing is invited to come along.
Quirindi coach Ed Nankivell has taken on the coaching role this year with assistance from Pirates coach Mick Squires.
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