Finishing sixth from nine state teams wasn’t the dream outcome.

But it was a worthwhile trip to Adelaide for Wagga City’s Harriet Elleman and Terri-Ann Cain and Cootamundra-based Sammy Maxwell, who plays for a Canberra club.

Cain scored her first nationals try in the first game, in ACT’s 15-7 victory over Queensland.

“My teammates set that up,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have ran all that way if they weren’t there to support me.”

The women went on to defeat Northern Territory 41-7 and lose to Western Australia 20-5.

Cain said the searing heat affected the team’s performance on Sunday.

“On day one we went so well, we beat Queensland, then they turned around and beat us the second day,” she said.

In the afternoon they endured a tough seven-point loss to NSW White.

“We were dying out there, it was the hottest part of day,” she said.

“They were unpredictable, that would have been the hardest game.”

Now it’s all over, after a prolonged season of rugby, Cain looks forward to a couple of weeks off.

But it won’t be long before she’s lacing up the boots again; Wagga City pre-season training starts in early December.