Rugby league is revered in Papua New Guinea — something former PNG Orchids captain Cathy Neap knows all too well.
As a young girl, she saved her lunch money to buy her first rugby ball for 54 Kina — about $23.
"That was like one and a half weeks of not eating lunch," she told Stories from the Pacific.
So when she was named captain of PNG's first NRL team to play in the women's Rugby League World Cup in 2017, she said it was "the highlight of my whole entire life".
"It was just like a dream come true.
"In Papua New Guinea, if you ask a three-year-old about… State of Origin, they would know… Everybody knows rugby league, like since they can walk."
'Boys would throw betel nut skins at us'
When Cathy was growing up in Enga Province, girls weren't supposed to speak up, let alone kick a footy around.
Loading...PNG has been identified by human rights organisations as one of the toughest places in the world to be a woman, due to high rates of abuse and domestic violence.
Starting out, Neap faced a lot of challenges entering her dream sport.
Girls were treated "as second-class", so simple things like training were difficult.
"We couldn't do road runs or anything like that because boys, they make fun of us," she said.
"[They] would throw betel nut skins at us and things like that.
"I remember our first game people came and watched just to see us as a laughing stock... you know, drinks on the side and watch us just to laugh about the way we were playing."
Making history
In a country where rugby league is a national sport, her participation as part of PNG's first NRL team in the Women's Rugby League World Cup was a monumental achievement.
The team formed only months before going on to play in the 2017 Cup, and the pioneering women involved had overcome more challenges than most.
The majority of Cathy's teammates were single mothers or young girls. Most of the team were unemployed, from rural settlements across the country.
"We went from [being] a laughing stock; people throw[ing] containers and banana skins [at] us when we're playing on the field to … people on that game day supporting and cheering us," she said.
While they didn't win a game that year, for the Orchids, it was much more than footy results.
"We wanted to show our menfolk that we women can be seen on an equal playing field ... we should be treated equally to men," she said.
It's something that Cathy — now a mother of three — strongly believes in, supporting the next generation of girls participating in sport.
"It offers them the platform where girls can … come out of their shells, speak up and speak out and say their views," she said.
"It's a place where … they feel they have hope and they get empowered to showcase their talents too.
"You feel safe to be yourself. Sport helps us … to break through barriers … and show what we are capable of."
Shifting attitudes
While PNG faces challenges on the path towards gender equality, Cathy said sport helped create opportunities for societal change.
"Now I can wear my short trousers and do my road run all the way down. Nobody will throw a betel nut skin at me. That's a classic example," she said.
She said the release of the 2018 Power Meri documentary — following the team's journey to the World Cup — also boosted support for women in sport, both abroad and closer to home.
"[It encouraged] young boys and men out there that have watched the documentary to challenge themselves about how they treat women," she said.
"And now they are having that positive attitude towards… treating women and also girls trying to ... take the first step out there."
When thinking through the future for young female athletes in PNG, she had some simple advice:
"Don't be scared to try new things because you might just create history."