Twenty years after Harvey Norman Women in League Round was born, Gold Coast Titans co-owner Rebecca Frizelle OAM hopes the annual celebration may one day no longer be needed.
Not because its purpose has faded, but because the recognition of women in rugby league will simply be the norm.
Over the past two decades, the game has transformed. Women are now leading, coaching, governing and playing at the highest level, helping shape rugby league in ways that were once difficult to imagine.
For Frizelle, who has been connected to the Titans since the club's foundation and became the first woman to chair a NRL club in 2014 before later joining the Kelly family as co-owners, the 20-year milestone is both significant and deeply personal.
"I can't wait for the day we don't need a Women in League Round because it becomes the norm," she said.
"But I am so incredibly grateful and recognise the women who have gone before us that have made the great game that we have today.
"Without their passion, their commitment and their endless hours, we wouldn't be where we are and celebrating what we are celebrating right now.
"The game has come so far and I think we lead the world in terms of women in sport."
Few clubs better reflect that progress than the Titans.
From female representation at board and ownership level to a NRLW program led by one of the game's most respected figures, the club continues to showcase the power of diverse leadership.
At the forefront is NRLW coach Karyn Murphy, a rugby league pioneer whose decorated playing career helped lay the foundation for the women's game that exists today.
A four-time World Cup representative, Murphy played 28 Tests for the Jillaroos between 1998 and 2013, captaining Australia on 18 occasions. Her influence on the sport remains so significant that the NRLW grand final player of the match medal proudly bears her name.
For Frizelle, Murphy’s success is proof of how important visibility remains.
"You can only be what you see, and I think Karyn Murphy has been a revelation in this," she said.
"I wanted to have a female head coach because coaching women is different – we think differently, we feel differently and we’re motivated differenty, and that's a good thing.
"Karyn, regardless of her gender, was the standout.
"Since arriving at the Titans, she’s revolutionised our NRLW program and she's just a quality human being."
The rapid rise of women’s rugby league is something Frizelle could hardly have imagined when she first entered the game.
"Ten years ago, our female players were paying for themselves to fly over and play in a World Cup," she said.
"Now we have our own game in the NRLW and the growth of that game is extraordinary because it's such a quality game.
"I want to see women become fully paid professionals, and I don't think that's far away."
Much of that progress can be traced back to the vision of Harvey Norman CEO, Magic Millions co-owner and Women in League founder Katie Page, a long-time friend of Frizelle and one of the driving forces behind the movement.
"Katie was a force of nature when she introduced Women in League Round," Frizelle said.
"She recognised the incredible contribution women were already making to the game and used her influence and intellect to make sure they were celebrated."
While the game has changed dramatically, Frizelle believes the heart of Women in League remains; recognising the women whose contributions often happen away from the spotlight.
"The game doesn’t happen without the mums cutting up the oranges, the partners organising things behind the scenes, the volunteers or the women working across the game," she said.
"Whether you’re a sponsor, a mum, a sister, a wife, a partner, a player or a volunteer, rugby league doesn’t happen without you.
This Women in League Round, the Titans celebrate the pioneers who helped build the game and the women continuing to drive it forward.
From the boardroom to the coach's box, from local junior clubs to the NRLW stage, their impact is woven through every level of rugby league.
As Frizelle puts it... "we're just league."
The future of the game has never looked brighter.
