The Group 16 Women's contact 9s series has grown in leaps and bounds since launching last year.
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The opening round of the four week nine-a-side full contact draw was held in Pambula on Saturday with 28 teams taking part across four age groups.
Officials said they were thrilled with the response, which featured a full extra age group on previously and the inclusion of Cooma, Snowy River and Batemans Bay in the open women's draw.
While many were players who contested last year, Group 16 chairman Allan Wilton said it was incredible to see the new faces and the ability on the field with league-tag providing many a great foundation of skills to build from.
Mr Wilton said he was most excited by the enormous growth of junior interest with the under 12s draw featuring 12 teams where squads from Tathra and Narooma are potential early favourites.
"There is some enormous talent emerging with these young girls taking part," Mr Wilton said.
"The future Kezies and Millies are going to come from competition just like this."
The Snowy River Bears showed some great form on debut and were able to take down the Tathra squad after a two-point lead at the half-time break.
Men's players on the Bears bench were both stunned and amazed by the hard hits and quality tackling from their home squad.
Tathra also had some good options with the Tarlinton twins book-ending the Eagles line-up with some great edge efforts alongside the leadership of Elouise Russell and Alliera Bower-Scott.
Later Cooma and Batemans Bay staged a wonderful rivalry with a fit and well-drilled Bay outfit getting the jump early before the Fillies staged a tremendous second half fight-back to level the scores 24-24.
A Candelo-Bemboka-Eden combine - dubbed CUBE - could be shaping as early favourites in the open age women's after the club staged a second half comeback result over a very polished Bega contingent.
The Chicks had taken an 8-4 lead into the break with Trudi Badullovich leading the tackle count, while players like Ali Ringland and Joccoaa Rogers had shown great bursts of speed and some good stepping.
Captain Annelisse Hughes fired back with some exceptional tackling of her own, while Sharna Mitchell and Kylie McDonald showed some good endeavour in their hit ups to build solid metres.
The Panthers also donned special jumpers to raise awareness of MS sufferers with a spokeswoman saying the club wanted to show solidarity for Bemboka's Matt Taylor who recently sought special treatment.
The women's tackle series will continue in a road-show format with all games to be held in Jindabyne this weekend before heading to Narooma the following week.