The former Bathurst citizen of the year made a commitment to the competition in 2014 and it’s no coincidence that it’s grown tenfold since.

After a long hiatus, 100-year-old club Portland made its return to the league, as well as the inclusion of a women’s league tag competition that’s helped elevate the league incredibly.

New Era Mine Site Revegetation is the name of Kowalski’s business and it’s a feat in itself that she owns the company at 30 years of age.

She hasn’t only put her company’s name behind the competition, she’s taken a hands-on role with New Era Cup Facebook page, as well as distributing some of the league’s headlines on the internet and social media.

Undoubtedly the most miraculous part of Kowalski’s journey is her cancer survival story, as she conquered bone cancer over 15 years ago.

It might be this triumph that’s caused her to lead such a pro-active lifestyle but either way, Kowalski’s contribution to local communities and rugby league is undeniable.

In 2018, the Midwest New Era Cup will hit the ground running again and welcomes back the Blackheath Blackcats who were a force in 2016 before taking the year off last year.

With perennial contenders such as CSU and Wallerawang still in the fray, the men’s side of the competition looks to be as stacked as ever.

Kandos will hope to represent the Mid-Western region better than it has it the last two seasons as the Waratahs have experienced somewhat of a fall from grace in recent times.

As for the women’s league tag competition, the CSU students will be hard to beat again.