Mackay Park will play host to teams from Canberra and the Illawarra region with three Batemans Bay players selected as part of the Illawarra side. 

“This is a great step forward,” Group 16 Chairman Allan Wilton said. 

“Congratulations to Bree Moreton, Tasha Brunhuber and Erin Buckingham, who were picked to represent the Illawarra region after selection trials.”

Wilton said women’s contact league was really taking off and Group 16 were already looking at ways to implement the format. 

The group is looking to adopt a separate contact nine-a-side tournament late this year. 

For Bomaderry’s Talia Atfield, who will don an Illawarra jersey alongside the Bay players, the trial is a step closer to realising her dream

“Playing on Sunday is the first step for me achieving my dream and playing for the Jillaroos,” Atfield said.

“They’ll pick a Country team after this match and then after their match against City, I believe they’ll pick the NSW women’s team to take on Queensland – which is another goal of mine.

“But before I even think of making those other teams, I need to perform on Sunday, which I expect will be a very intense match. Every player is going to give it their all, as people are competing for jerseys.”

Atfield comes into the match as the reigning Illawarra RL women’s player of the year. “I do feel plenty of pressure going into matches like this,” she said.

“But it’s important I just play my natural, free-flowing game and not put too much pressure on myself.”

Sunday’s match, along with the Berkeley Vale Panthers and North Newcastle clash and the Country Rugby League women’s nines competition will act as trial matches for the selection of the first ever CRL women’s squad – to take on City in May.

“The women’s game has taken significant steps forward this season with the introduction of the NSWRL Tarsha Gale Cup and CRL women’s nines and selecting the first Country women’s team to play City is another opportunity to move forward,” CRL women’s participation officer Kylie Hilder said.

“The CRL women’s nines have allowed us to create a pathway for females outside the established Sydney metro and Illawarra women’s competitions to sample the tackle version of the game and the success has proven there is a strong appetite for the game.

Play is from 1.30pm.