Maitland enforcer Lacey Hickson will be watching from the sidelines in this weekend’s round six Milleen Group Women’s Premiership grand final replay at the Maitland Sportsground.

It’s an ironic twist given that she was rubbed out by the league judiciary in the decider last season in one of the cruellest blows imaginable.

“It was one of the worst weeks of my life, sitting there with no control over the outcome watching my teammates struggle, and then for it to go into extra-time made it even worse,” she said.

Reputation can be a funny thing. Sometimes it tells the truth. Sometimes it only tells part of the story.

The game of rugby league has a habit of turning people into characters.

The competitor becomes the villain, the agitator becomes the pest and, sometimes, the real person gets lost in the process.

If you only judged Hickson by what happens between the sidelines, you might get the wrong impression. 

Make no mistake, she’s a firebrand.

Her opponents will tell you she’s a win-at-all-costs competitor. The evidence would corroborate this, as she is an integral part of a Maitland Pickers unit that registered back-to-back premierships in just two short years of competition.

Hickson has built a reputation as one of the toughest and most competitive figures in local women’s rugby league.

She plays on the edge of the line, tough, vocal and never taking a backward step after spending the past two years frustrating rivals who would be happy if she retired.

But, away from football, the woman behind the myth tells a very different story.

She’s a mother of four children, a small business owner and is now flourishing as the coach of the East Maitland Griffins Ladies League Tag side.

It seems life has handed this enforcer a new role.

That of a mentor to a group of ladies playing the non-contact version of the sport.

“We have been coming along nicely,” Hickson said.

“It’s the first time that Griffins have had a League Tag side.

“We’re currently running first after getting a team together and starting in a lower division and now we are in B grade.

“We play Dungog next and they are right on our heels in second.

“So, we know that up at home on a Friday night they will be very tough,” says the 29-year-old coach.

Twenty minutes after barking instructions at teammates on a Tuesday evening, Hickson is back at home helping her children with homework and navigating the chaos that inevitably comes with motherhood.

It is not unusual to see her kids on the sidelines at Maitland Sportsground, watching their mum and her teammates go through their paces as another training session unfolds under the beaming lights on a chilly Coalfields night.

In a role once more commonly associated with fathers, Hickson represents the changing face of rugby league.

She is part of a growing generation of women proving that motherhood and elite sport are not mutually exclusive, balancing family, business and football commitments while continuing to perform at the highest level of the local game.

Throw in coaching and she is probably averaging four hours’ sleep a night.

Hickson, who recorded one of the best transformations of the off-season, has also made a big impact in both her roles as player-coach at Griffins, but especially at Maitland, shedding a significant amount of body fat over the off-season and now looking just as much fitness model as footballer.

“Brooke (Pickers’ captain Brooke Carter) was my inspiration,” she told the Newcastle Weekly.

“She’s a phenomenal athlete and player… and is one of my closest friends.

“I had been very unhappy in my body for a while, so I did the 75 Hard Challenge with her and have kept my training and diet consistent since.

“It’s now paying dividends on the field.

“Maitland has been the biggest challenge really, particularly with what the league has done with the by-laws.

“Every week we are in survival mode and we just rely on the next woman up mentality to keep us going.

“Russ, Jason and Scotty keep telling us to focus on what’s in our control and we will do that.”

Looking ahead to this week, it will be pure anguish for Hickson as she is watching once again from the stands after taking an early plea to a hair-pull charge a few weeks ago.

“Watching is the absolute worst,” she admitted.

“The Hawks will be tough with their players back.

“However, we also have a good side although we won’t have a full bench and with the rules preventing us from really recruiting anyone it will come down to how well we execute.

“Russ has a plan and if we follow it, we certainly will give it a shake as we always do.”

To opposition players, Hickson may always be remembered as the competitor who walks the fine line and refuses to take a backward step.

But, beyond the football field, there is another side to the Maitland enforcer — a mother, a business owner, a coach and a mentor helping grow the game she loves.

Perhaps that’s the lesson in all of this. The version of Lacey Hickson most people see on a Saturday afternoon is only part of the story.

Because long after the bruises heal and the football boots are put away for the final time, four children will remember a mother who never stopped showing up.

Her teammates will remember someone who always had their back.

And, a group of women at East Maitland will remember the coach who believed in them before they believed in themselves.

For all the labels attached to her throughout her football career, they may ultimately prove insignificant compared to the titles she values most.

• Mum.
• Mentor.
• Friend.

MILLEEN GROUP WOMEN’S PREMIERSHIP ROUND 6

SATURDAY 6 JUNE

• 10.45am: Central Newcastle v Lakes United (St John Oval)
• 10.45am: Maitland v Northern Hawks (Maitland Sportsground)
• 10.45am: South Newcastle v Western Suburbs (Townson Oval)

For more sports stories:

• In-demand Dylan Lucas re-signs with Knights
• Mai-Wel, Maitland Blacks Charity Day raises $12,000 for Hunter community
• Lakes push NEWRL premiers to the brink

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