SHE'S the fullback who's renowned for her speed, strong defence and prolific try scoring and now Erin Naden is the St Pat's star who is advocating for a new Western league tag competition.
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In fact Naden has gone as far to say if there isn't a merged Group 10-Group 11 league tag competition in 2023, a lot of players will be lost to the sport.
It's a scenario the former Group 10 league tag player of the year is eager to avoid.
"I would definitely love to play in a Western competition, one to get more games next season and two, to have a bit more of a stronger competition next season and play some different teams," Naden said.
"At the moment we're playing the same teams a lot of times in the same competition and we also have a lot of weeks off between games.
"You'll start to lose a heap of players if we aren't playing consistently. They'll either want to play different sports or will put their focus into another sport and want to play that more than league tag."
When Naden first joined the Saints they were already a heavyweight of Group 10 league tag.
But while she has enjoyed premiership success with the Saints and the representative opportunities when they've come, she has more recently noticed a decline.
It is why when it was proposed that Group 10 league tag and reserve grade competitions emulate what has been done in firsts and under 18s and merge with Group 11 to form Western premierships in 2023, Naden was a fan.
"This year at training sometime girls wouldn't want to come because we weren't playing that week or for two or three weeks. So we were losing numbers to training ... and on Sundays some people had other sports they were committed to and couldn't play," Naden said.
"We were still able to field a team, but having those weeks off meant we had some people that didn't want to play much.
"I do think that we need to join a Western comp to have more games because if we have another season like last year, I don't think you'll get many games or people wanting to play.
"With a lot of people having partners in the men's competition, we want to follow them around as well. I think it will be better if we do join."
League tag games between Group 10 and Group 11 clubs have been played in the past, but they've been limited to pre-season knockouts and the end of season Western Premiers Challenge.
Having beaten Group 11 champions Dubbo CYMS 28-0 in this year's Western Premiers Challenge was something Naden enjoyed, but given her competitive nature, she'd love a crack at them during the regular season.
"We did beat them quite well in the Western Challenge, but that was at the end of the season and everyone was kind of finished. It would be good to see them at their full strength during the season and see how we go against them," she said.
"It would be good because everyone talks about being the best in the Central West, Dubbo CYMS talk about it out there [Group 11]. It would to go out and give it a crack."
Having a fresh challenge could create new interest in league tag, certainly the first grade Peter McDonald Premiership saw the emergence of good, new rivalries.
Though Naden is realistic enough to see a future where women's tackle - a sport she also plays - becomes the winter season staple, forming a new Western league tag premiership is something required to solve a current issue.
"I think the tackle will eventually take over, I thought that a bit this year and have previous years. You can see more girls wanting to play the tackle so I do think in a few more years' time instead of having league tag play with the men it will be rugby league," she said.
"I think we aren't getting as many people to games as we did previously, now I feel the focus is on women's rugby league.
"But I think a Western [league tag] comp would be a good change. There's been teams that folded this year not because of the travel, but because they couldn't get coaches.
"A few of the men might want to coach league tag but couldn't because they were travelling away. If we play in a Western comp they can coach."
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