THEY have risen to every challenge they have met in club rugby this year, but when five talented Bathurst Bulldogs pull on a Central West Blue Bullettes jumper this weekend they need to bring even more effort and intensity.
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It is because a NSW Country Rugby Union Women's Championship crown will be on the line.
Having guided her side to eight consecutive Ferguson Cup wins so far in 2019, Bathurst Bulldogs skipper Mel Waterford shapes as an important figure in the Central West line-up.
Not only does she boast a wealth of representative experience, but her high work rate at the breakdown and strong ball carrying will be key in seeing the Central West pack take control.
Fellow Bulldog Edwina Ulberg was one of Central West's best at the titles last year and brings muscle to the forward pack, while talented back line exponents Kate Gullifer, Nicole Schneider and Courtney Auld will make their 15-a-side Country Championships debut.
With the Blue Bullettes squad also featuring familiar combinations from Orange Emus and Temora Tuskers, they have the potential to be a title threat and improve on last year's third placing as they battle it out over two days in Tamworth.
But Waterford knows it will not be easy.
Central West will face defending champions Illawarra and Central North in their pool games on Saturday while Hunter, Mid North Coast and Central Coast battle it out in the other.
The team which tops those respective pools will go on to play for the mantle of country champions on Sunday, while the others will play for minor rankings.
"Illawarra won it last year year, but in the other pool Hunter can be tough too, so I wouldn't say one pool is easier than the other," Waterford said.
"We drew with Hunter last year and only just lost to Illawarra. If we'd played them [Illawarra] last last year we might have beaten them ... we were all very tight.
"Because it's that round robin format, it really just depends how well you play on the day and how well you play in each of your pool games."
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As Waterford indicated, being consistently strong across the pool games is key.
Last year the Blue Bullettes drew 10-all with Mid North Coast and 19-all with then five-time defending champions Hunter, but a 22-10 loss to Illawarra saw them miss the championship decider.
The other challenge for the Blue Bullettes is adjusting to a new format. While their Central West club football is a minimum of seven-on-seven and rarely more than 10-on-10, at Tamworth it is 15-a-side and pool games.
"Illawarra they play in the Sydney comp every week, they play Campbelltown, Camden and all that sort of area, so they are constantly playing that 15s format," Waterford said.
"But it [15s] gives you a chance to actually play your position instead of it being like when you are playing for your club team in a sevens format where everyone does everything. It think the girls can see there are more opportunities in this format.
"We are lucky we got exposed to it in New Zealand, we've got pretty much the same squad ... we've got a pretty strong squad, there's a lot of experienced girls there."
