Peace and 'full blown footy war': Why Rams star flourishes on footy field

But ask the cross-code talent how she's really feeling on the paddock, Sullivan will use the words "relaxed and calm".

The place where her spirit finds a sense of complete liberation, it's hard to think league-loving females in the west had scarce-to-nil playing presence some 10 years ago.

"I started playing touch footy when I was 10, because there wasn't a whole heap of league around then, and you were pretty much transferred into a women's side from the age of 12 if you wanted to play tackle," Sullivan said.

"But there weren't really any clubs out here that offered that, so I ended up getting into soccer and played at a high level for a fair while.

"Footy started to come back around for me when I was about 15, so I joined the Group 10 Under 18s squad, which was basically Vipers before it was called Vipers."

The eldest of eight children, the 21-year-old Dubbo-born girl grew up in Wellington and remains the proud big sister to two brothers and five sisters.

With two of those siblings now 16-year-old twins, Sullivan's bursting at the seams to take to the rugby pitch with the pair in green for the first time with her beloved Orange Emus club.

The three will then back up on Sunday to play tag with the Wellington Cowboys back in their hometown.

But with a handful of Western Rams campaigns to train for and strong links to places like Orange and the Central Coast, Sullivan's biggest hurdle with footy has been juggling the intense mileage.

"My whole life feels like I've lived out of a suitcase, because I've always been up and moving between places," she said.

"There was a point when I was constantly in the car driving back and forth, sometimes up to 40 hours a week, and I ended up living off of energy drinks just to make it all work.

"That's why I always end up coming back to [Wellington], because it's my home here and it grounds me. When I get here, I just feel comfortable and relaxed, because I know that I'm sweet with most of my family here.

"That's why when I get overwhelmed, I'll just go home [to Wellington]. I've lived in different places and new things are great, but they just never feel the same; this is my comfort spot."

She'll often hear those closest to her say "you always say you're going to leave, but you always come back".

But it's in this place of solace which also includes casual pub work and a career in youth work as a case manager.

A job Sullivan adores, it was one she knew she'd end up in since her high school days.

"I love working with kids and disadvantaged youth, it's just where I'm meant to be," she said.

"It's free to be kind in the world, so just having someone kind around is something I'll always want to be for them."

But her heart also belongs back in Orange, where her dad and CYMS legend, Scott Sullivan, works and lives,

With her parents separating when Sullivan was eight, she eventually went to live with her father for six years and attended Canobolas Rural Technology High School.

It was during this time where her love of footy grew even more.

"I've always been really close with dad, mum too, but we really connected through footy," Sullivan said, "which is why I don't worry about what other people think, but I care about what my dad thinks.

"People will offer advice with footy or with anything else really and I'll say it's okay, I'm going to run this by my dad first, because if there's any opinion I'm taking, it's his.

"I tell him everything because I respect his advice, that's why I've always looked for it; and it always comes back to giving things a genuine and decent crack."

A family where competitiveness runs in the blood, Sullivan says even their muck around games of touch can turn into a "full blown footy war".

But she relishes that about her relatives - who she says are all very passionate about the game.

"It's especially like that on dad's side of the family, where we really compete for things and I always want to win," she said.

"That's why footy is definitely my outlet in life, and it's what I do for my mental health because it is my mental health, it brings me peace.

"I feel relaxed, calm and determined because it's just what I enjoy.

"It brings me back to myself."