Dibb finds silver lining in Townsville faithful after Origin omission

"The thing that I was really fortunate for is I was already training for the NRLW so I still had footy to focus on.

"My team went to the game at Country Bank and the atmosphere was really exciting. I think my favourite part about that, was knowing that all those people came to watch a game in Townsville.

"It was a really good start for the advertising of our team as well as the Origin.

"It was sad NSW didn’t retain the series and I’m still a New South Welshman through and through, but my focus just went entirely into the Cowboys and the support base we have behind us."

Moving 2000 kilometres north to join Ben Jeffries' inaugural NRLW side was a daunting prospect for the Central Coast junior but the way the Townsville faithful have embraced the Cowboys' women's team has Dibb feeling right at home.

"The whole of North Queensland has already gotten around us already," she said. "One of the cool things is that our away strip is just the women’s away strip so it’s a unique to us and different to the men’s.

"Whereas our home kit is exactly the same. So seeing locals already wearing our unique jerseys, walking around town, when we haven’t even taken the field yet is so exciting.

"It’s very similar vibes to Newcastle who also have a very supportive fanbase and I’ll always be grateful that I got to play in that kind of environment. 

"But we are just so much more isolated. There’s not many sporting teams in general within several hours away, so you can really feel a small community vibe despite it covering such a broad area."

Appointed co-captain to lead the Cowboys NRLW team into the new era, the former-Knight said the prospect of reuniting with her Indigenous All Stars coach and halves partner Tahlulah Tillett was a big drawcard in her decision to head north.

"I think it was a good new opportunity for me but the main drawing card was Ben Jeffries," she said.

"I really like what he’s done with myself and the rest of the team in the All Stars and I already knew that I really liked the way that he coached and specifically the way that he coaches his halves. 

"It will be good for us to be able to invest in that partnership (Tillett and I) if we are the halves for Round 1 and to grow from what we’ve done at All Stars.

"And it will be cool to have a few of the other All Stars girls in the side. We haven’t played in a long-term team together. If there’s one thing we’ll have early it’s the camaraderie and the unity to start."