Dubbo's Kaitlyn Mason named co-coach of NSW Country under 17s girls' side

The top level for now, she thought, was the Western Rams and she had that opportunity earlier this month when she led the region's under 17s girls' side into the Lisa Fiaola Cup.

The talent within the playing group, and the coaching ranks, was clear to see as the young Rams piled on 184 points across three matches and didn't concede one.

Those performances led to three Western players earning NSW Country selection but it also resulted in Mason getting a call-up to co-coach the side.

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Mason and the three Western players - Woodbridge trio Elizabeth MacGregor, Paige Bohringer and Alana O'Loughlin - are in camp this week ahead of a battle with the City under 17s on Sunday at Jubilee Stadium in Sydney.

"It makes me so proud to get a role like this," Mason said.

"Especially at this level this early. I only had my sights set on Western and that level but it has always been a goal to go further.

"I just didn't think I'd get it this quickly."

Mason received a text from NSW women's State of Origin coach Kylie Hilder to inform her of the appointment.

It came as a huge shock but also meant a huge amount to Mason, who said she was "proud, honoured and grateful" to be selected to lead the team alongside Jayme Fressard.

As much as the growing women's game has opened so many doors for female players of all ages, it's done the same for coaches.

Jess Skinner has blazed a trail for the western area and the former Trangie and Warren coach is now a full-time employee with the NRL and also the co-coach of the national Jillaroos side.

Mason has been making her way up the ranks on the local scene, having coached South Dubbo and Macquarie Raiders league tag sides as well as Wiradjuri Goannas tackle teams in the Western Women's Rugby League (WWRL) competition.

"The game has been developing over the last few years and the support the clubs have given me has helped me take my coaching to the next level and made me be comfortable to give what I've got to offer to that younger generation coming through," Mason said.

One thing which Mason has put a focus on in her coaching is building a strong team culture.

It's one of the biggest challenges facing a coach of any Western team, given the representative side can draw in players from Bourke to Lithgow and Cowra to Coonamble.

Mason was all too aware the biggest thing she needed to do with the Western under 17s girls this season was bring them together as a group and the results proved she achieved that in a big way.

"What I like to get across is that rapport," she said.

"That cohesiveness as a group and they're coming together from different clubs so you've got to get them used to playing with each other.

"That rapport and level of trust between the coaches and the players is vital. That can get them to play with the confidence they have.

"Especially with the Western 17s, we were pretty well gelled by the tournament after a few trainings and I think that was what we worked on at training, playing as one.

"The girls went and showed it."

As excited as Mason is for her own chance to learn and develop, she's immensely pleased to see the Western trio rewarded with Country selection.

MacGregor is from Parkes while Bohringer is from Molong and O'Loughlin calls Grenfell home.

The trio impressed for Woodbridge in the WWRL and then went to another level while playing for the Rams under Mason.

"It's an amazing achievement and it shows the pathways are there and they're getting stronger. It's great to see," Mason said.

"They're doing themselves, their clubs and their families proud. It's a proud moment as a coach, too."

The rugby league pathways for female players have gone from strength to strength in the past decade, with a host of western area youngsters now playing in the under 19 Tarsha Gale Cup in Sydney.

The fact there is also a way forward for a coach from Dubbo excites Mason and she said it will be "an amazing experience" to put part of the game in the coming years as more opportunities arrive for more people involved in the game at all levels.

As exciting as that is, the focus for now is on the fierce rivalry that is Country v City.

"I think it's going to be a whole other level," Mason said of Sunday's match.

"We've got girls from the Northern Rivers, the Central Coast, Illawarra, Western and they've never played before.

"We'll try and keep it simple and get that cohesiveness. It will be exciting to watch."

The under 17s match will kick-off at 11.15am on Sunday will be live streamed on NSWRL TV and the NSWRL Facebook page.

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