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It has been five years since the last Women's Rugby League World Cup, but given how much the game has changed, it may as well be a lifetime.
- Nine players will make their debut in Australia's opening match against Papua New Guinea
- England beat Brazil to kick off the women's tournament
- Australia and New Zealand are expected to dominate the event
Australia's win over New Zealand in 2017 marked the end of one era and the beginning of the next, and with this year's tournament commencing overnight in Leeds, it is clear this could be another transformative moment for the women's game.
Between the colourful and vibrant crowd that packed into Headingley to see England's 72-4 win over Brazil in the tournament opener and the NRLW producing a conveyor belt of budding stars, the public interest and standard of play are expected to be at an all-time high.
The Jillaroos will open their campaign against Papua New Guinea on Thursday morning (AEDT) in York, with nine debutants included in the side's first match since 2019.
Plenty of the new faces will be well known to NRLW fans. Somebody like five-eighth Tarryn Aiken, for example, has been a stalwart for Queensland and the Broncos, but has been denied the chance to represent her country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Aiken is ready to make up for lost time as she combines with her club and state teammate Ali Brigginshaw in the halves.
"It's been a few years and we've all been waiting patiently for a chance to have a crack and make the team," Aiken said.
"We spoke about it at our jersey presentation. We've all had to wait all this time to make the team.
"It's affected a few of us, which is why we're so happy to be here now.
"It was a surreal moment. Getting the call was unbelievable. I went straight to tell my mum and my family first. Everyone was so happy for me."
Aiken remembers the 2017 triumph well.
The exciting 23-16 win was something of a coming-of-age moment for the women's game in Australia, with several current NRLW stars citing the tournament as the moment that showed them they could have a future in the sport.
It is something Aiken is looking to emulate this time around, with the Jillaroos firmly focused on claiming another title at Old Trafford later this month.
"I remember the field goal [in the last minute]," she said.
"I saw all those highlights, and straight after that they said there would be an NRLW season, and that really changed everything,.
"It's kind of etched in my memory that there was that game and then the NRLW came in.
"That's why we'll see a jump. We have semi-professional players now, coming up to full professional.
"Having NRLW players who have played all year round at a high level, it's been really good because that opportunity to play consistent footy can only help the World Cup.
"I think the competition will increase. So will the standard.
"We have girls who have been able to play footy all their lives. They didn't have to go play other sports and come back.
"The junior pathways are there, all the way up to the Jillaroos."
While Australia and New Zealand are expected to dominate, the tournament is welcoming a new team in Brazil, with Canada, PNG, the Cook Islands, Samoa and hosts England rounding out the competing nations.