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The NSW Blues women are celebrating a win after the announcement that, for the first time, they will be paid to play.
The 30 women who were selected for the Interstate Challenge with the Maroons have signed professional playing contracts that provide match payments and funds to cover daily costs.
Forward Rebecca Young, 35, said the news was a huge boost for women but also provided financial stability.
With a full-time job and two young children, being offered a contract to cover her time in the Blues camp was very welcome.
"This is the first time they are giving us an allowance so they are giving us a daily allowance for the time that we are giving up at work," she told the ABC.
"For me as a self-contractor, if I don't work I don't get paid, so having this time off to come to camp and play footy and get rewarded with money ... it's amazing."
The men's state representatives receive $30,000 per match, but the women receive a fraction of that.
But Young said at this point in the timeline of women's rugby league, it was not about the amount but about the recognition.
"It might sound like a little bit but it's a lot to us because of the sacrifices we make ... you don't expect it but if you get it, it's awesome," she said.
"Because we do play for the love of the game and we train really hard because we love footy."
Young has been a part of the Jillaroos, Indigenous All Stars and Blues teams for many years.
Over the years, Young has seen how women's rugby league has evolved and is adamant that one day there will be an elite professional competition for her peers to aspire to.
For the first time ever, Sunday's interstate clash will be broadcast live on Fox Sports ahead of the St George-Illawarra Dragons against Manly.
If the journey towards an NRL women's competition was 10 steps, Young estimated that at present things would be sitting at the halfway point.
"I would say we are in the middle ... timeframe wise we are talking about the next five years," she said.
"We have to get it right. If there's one thing I know about rugby league it's that we need longevity. We can't just have a six to eight-week program and it's over with.
"We are building the grassroots' levels, eventually the participation numbers will continue to grow, we need good quality and quantity of players."
While the women's game continues to grow and the payment of Blues players is a significant milestone, Young said at the centre of the experience, was still the joy of playing the game they loved.
The pride in the Blue jumper will be on display on Sunday, but the on-field feelings towards the Maroons will be fiery.
"There's still that deep passionate hate for Queensland that comes out, definitely," Young said.
Topics: sport, rugby-league, women, nsw