All Hale Georgia: Another must-win milestone match for Titans

“It's an interesting one; it's been eight years sitting in the NRLW and 50 games; it seems like a lot and also in some ways, it seems like not many at all,” Hale said.

“You look back to that first season and we played three games, it was over before we knew it.

“I think I am more just proud of where we started and then where the competition has got to, and it's really nice to reflect on those moments.

“I think success is rich for me in moments and in memories and I've been fortunate to cross paths with some amazing people, to be coached by the best of the best, play alongside the best of the best, but I feel like also the best is yet to come.

“So, 50 games is a nice milestone to reflect on, but I'm now looking for more.

“I'm looking for bigger and I'm looking for a premiership with my Titans girls.

“It's nice to sit in it for a moment, but the hunger to be in finals, outweighs that for me.”

This weekend, the Titans will face off against their ‘bogey team’, with the Knights holding a dominant 5-1 record, including taking out the 2023 grand final with a late fightback.

After working so hard in an injury-affected season to earn their place in the finals – with a Lauren Brown field goal in extra time needed to secure their spot – Hale said her side were always learning, with many of the squad still in the early stages of their rugby league development.

“You look at the game overall, and I reckon the average age in the NRLW is probably 22; when we look at our squad alone, I would be one of the more experienced players alongside Brittany Breayley-Nati and Shaylee Bent, who's only just turned 25,” Hale said.

“This generation of girls have come straight in out of school and into this elite competition, and they are such young talents, but also, they've just walked straight into the elite competition.

“So I think there's just a little bit of (a need for) guidance here.

“I think every team, I've seen a common theme in it, that we're just balancing the mix of having your experienced girls mixing with your young blood.

“I'm just excited to see all that young talent be showed off and then our older girls lead the way on that.”

One of that new crop of players who are making the most of the growing opportunities in the NRLW are Titans back Georgia Grey, who made the jump from rugby sevens to rugby league last year.

Already, the 20-year-old has played 18 games and will line up in the centres for this weekend’s elimination final against in Newcastle after missing last week's thriller under the NRL's concussion protocols. 

For Grey, who was spotted by coach Karyn Murphy when she was playing union with Bond University Bull Sharks, the code switch has been a fulfilling one.

“Murph watched a few of my games and some videos and she had faith in me that I could potentially be successful in a rugby league and I signed a development contract,” Grey said of her switch to rugby league.

“Later that season, within that season there was a few injuries with the team, so I got bumped up to the top 24 and then debuted in Round 2, which was pretty special. I've been playing since then.

“Murph a wonderful human and she's very understanding and she had faith in me and my abilities and what I can do.

“I think knowing and seeing girls who have done the (union to league) crossover well … Vani’s [Evania Isa’ako] amazing and she's an incredible human and both on and off the field.

“Also coming from Ivana [Lolesio] … I was in the same Queensland program with her, and I think seeing her thrive in such an environment, I thought this is something I could definitely see myself doing.

“I think coming across into the environment, I definitely understand why now and I love it …

“I love league and I am enjoying it a lot.

“This season obviously for us started a bit rocky with some injuries and I don't think we were playing the level of footy we wanted to play, but as the season's gone on and the games, we've progressively gotten better, which has been really good for us.

“For me, I think I've got some incredible girls around me and they're giving me good ball and I'm just doing my job and finishing it off.

“The middles … without the middles work, I think they go unnoticed, but you know it's incredible the work they do in the middle in allowing us edges to do our job.

“When you have girls around you who are doing their job and you're doing your job, it makes a team effort a lot more achievable.

"I think us as a team at the moment, we're really proud of our efforts and we've just got to keep building up from there.”