'Commitment' is a word often thrown around in sporting contexts. Players need it, coaches need it, even fans need it, and sometimes its meaning becomes lost in a sea of jargon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However, four players from the Yass Magpies Under 15 Girls' side have recently proved that true commitment is alive and well.
Abbey Brill, Nakita Moran, Sialalia Asomua and Lanieta Caqusau are all based in Griffith, which is roughly three-and-a-half hours from Yass.
Because there is no women's tackle league where they live, all four girls make the commute to their matches every weekend - which can be as much as a four-and-a-half-hour drive, depending on where games are played - for which they have received wholehearted praise from coach Hollie Massey.
"They're awesome," Massey said.
"Three of them play up front in the front row, and one of them plays in the half back, and they're all just really naturally talented. And they're really nice girls, too, that's the main thing."
Along with the four girls from Griffith, there are two from Tumut - Tikirah Douglas and Chloe Doon - who also commute twice a week, once for training and once for matches.
With nearly half of the side made up of players who live out of town, many might have expected the team to gel slowly. However, they currently sit at number three on the ladder, undefeated from three games.
"Our team's benefiting from them heaps," Massey said.
"And to [the Yass] girls' credit too, they could be pretty cranky that these girls are coming along. But they've really welcomed them with open arms, which is a huge credit to the girls who train every week."
In order to maintain good relations in the team, Massey said that she lets the Yass players start during games and the Griffith and Tumut girls come off the bench, but she is careful to ensure everyone gets the same amount of game time.
This weekend, the Yass Magpies Under 15 Girls' side will take on the Queanbeyan Kangaroos, who are fifth on the ladder.
The match will take place at Walker Park from 11.50am on Sunday May 12.