THE dust has barely settled on her second Super W season with the ACT Brumbies but Bomaderry's Harriet Elleman is already thinking how she can take her game to the next level in 2020.
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It's been a whirlwind could of years for the 25-year-old since leaving Nowra High School.
After a successful career in the pool as a teenager, Elleman moved west to Wagga Wagga to study a Bachelor of Animal Science at Charles Sturt University.
It was this move that spurned her interest in 'the game played in heaven.'
"In 2012, one of my friends I was studying with invited me to come and play rugby with her, as she knew I was already pretty handy at touch footy," Elleman said.
"After my first game against Temora, I fell in love with rugby and haven't looked back since."
Elleman then played for four years in Wagga Wagga before she even heard whispers of a potential Super W competition.
"After playing with the Brumbies at the nationals in 2017 and loving it, I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring and at least trial for the Super W side," she said.
Then when she finally got named in ACT's inaugural squad for the 2018 season, she both "shocked" and "very excited" at the same time.
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"I can still remember getting a little upset when two of my idols Henry Speight and David Pocock presented me with my debut jersey," she said.
"I was speechless and to be given the opportunity to play against the Queensland Reds on that day, it meant absolutely everything to me.
"It was far and away the pinnacle of my rugby career, which I've been lucky enough to build on since."
Following the inaugural season, Elleman's Brumbies began training months earlier to ensure they were better prepared for their 2019 campaign.
"It biggest things we worked on was our fitness and those one per centers during a game," she said.
"Such as passing, our tackle technique and cleaning out - all little things that when you're tired, just seem to go out the back of your mind," she said.
That extra work paid off, with Elleman's Brumbies finishing third on the ladder, therefore booking themselves a semi-finals spot.
"Making it into that top three and getting to expose ourselves to playing in that semi-final environment was definitely our goal going into the year" she said.
Unfortunately, that was as far as Elleman's side would progress, as they fell 39-10 to the Queensland Reds at Ballymore.
"I thought we really stuck it to the Reds in the first half and we went into the sheds at half-time in a really positive frame of mind," she said.
"Although we pushed as hard as we could in that second half, I don't know if we were as mentally prepared for a semi-final as we thought we were.
"Once a couple of injuries and errors started to happen our team, the Reds took full advantage of that and ran in a couple fo quick tries to seal the game.
"But that experience will bode well for us moving forward in future Super W competitions."
While Elleman will be the first to admit her team made huge leaps in 2019, she believes the code's progress off the field was even bigger.
"The growth has been phenomenal," she said.
"In my first year trialling with the Brumbies, we had 30 girls turn up but this year, we had more than 100 in contention to make the team.
"I have no doubts it's only going to get bigger in years to come."
Looking ahead, Elleman aspires to one day follow in fellow Shoalhaven product Ash Hewson's footsteps and pull on a Wallaroos jersey.
"Ash [Hewson] is an absolute legend on and off the field," she said.
"She incredible to watch and she's even better to play against, because she just does everything with the utmost precision.
"She inspires all rugby players to be the best players they can be, so hopefully one day down the line, I can take that next step and represent my country - it's definitely something I'm working towards."
Elleman will now play for her Wagga Agricultural College side in the off-season, ahead of the 2020 Super W season.