Raelene Castle. Photo / Dean Purcell
After 16 months in the role of Canterbury Bulldogs chief executive, Raelene Castle feels right at home in charge of one of the NRL's most high-profile clubs.
Initial intrigue about being the first woman to take control of a club since Liz Dawson at the Adelaide Rams in 1997-98 has died down. Her strong leadership is now the first topic of conversation whenever Castle's name is mentioned throughout the fiercely masculine league community.
Since replacing former Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg in May last year, the 43-year-old has forged a reputation as one of the game's most progressive officials and is enjoying every moment.
"It's been fantastic. The rugby league public have been very supportive and welcoming and been as helpful as you could possibly imagine they could be," explained the former Netball New Zealand chief executive.
"Right from the beginning they just accepted me as a CEO, someone who had the skills to do the job. There's no doubt there's been a level of fascination around being female and how that works but it's been seen as a very positive thing from all aspects."
She was tested early on when allegations of a domestic violence cover-up shrouded Ben Barba's exit from the club and she was also forced to contend with the controversy over Andrew Fifita's failed contract talks. "I'm a great believer that respect and trust doesn't come with title, you earn it over a period of time. When you've built that trust and respect then you can start making a difference and that's just the learning curve that comes with starting in any new job. A lot of the day-to-day operational stuff becomes much easier because you've got that base in place."
Similarly, her working relationship with enigmatic Bulldogs coach Des Hasler is one based on mutual respect and admiration. The pair is bound by a shared refusal to give nothing but the best, in terms of work ethic and commitment to achieving success.
"We have a very strong working relationship which again has built over time," she says.
The Bulldogs enjoyed a golden run at the start of the season, winning eight of their first 10 games to ride high at the top of the NRL ladder before slumping to lose seven out of their next 10. They finished the year in seventh spot and defied the critics to win 28-4 over a star-studded Melbourne Storm side in last Sunday's elimination final.
"We've got the right coaching staff and we've got a playing group that's capable on their day of beating any team in the comp.
"It's a matter now of playing one game at a time. The boys are excited about the opportunity that's in front of them and they'll be really fired up for Manly on Saturday night."
"The Dogs of War" and "the Entertainers" are both tags Canterbury have worn proudly in decades past. They have since been forced to endure various off-field scandals and ensuing character transformations over the past 10 years, but managed to retain and redefine their other long-held reputation as "the family club".
Castle sees it as her responsibility to stand beside the Bulldogs players publicly, whether to front-foot a controversy or to provide support at a time of need.
She was with five-eighth Josh Reynolds during his judiciary hearing following this year's second State of Origin game and accompanied second-rower Pat O'Hanlon to hospital after he fractured his leg against Melbourne.
"I was with him for six hours and went with him in the ambulance to the hospital because that's also important. Des and I are the leaders of that family and the players love playing for the Bulldogs because they get that support when required. It's the essence of who we are as a club and it's very easy to say it and it's much harder to deliver it."
The significance of her caregiver role can't be overlooked and Castle has learned to revel in her status as "Aunty" to the Kiwi contingent of Bulldogs players.
"Beasty [Greg Eastwood], Sam Perrett and Frank Pritchard are extra supportive. They've all made a special effort to look after me and look out for me because the Kiwis stick together. They do call me aunty, which at first made me feel 100-years-old and then I realised it is just about respect."
Despite having nestled comfortably into the rugby league landscape, she believes more could be done to recognise women at all levels of the sport.
"About 25 per cent of the people working in NRL clubs are female, and I don't think we've done as much to celebrate that as we could do.
"Certainly I'd like to see more females in board positions but also in leadership roles. We also need to celebrate that we are a diverse sport and we're actually doing a reasonably good job of that, certainly gender diversity, at the moment."
Bulldogs skipper Michael Ennis
"There's been legendary sledgers all over sport that we could name, in cricket and lots of other codes. And Mick's a little bloke who has survived in a game with much bigger and tougher blokes. I say good luck to him if he's smart enough to use his wit and guile to upset the opposition. He's the ultimate professional in the way he prepares and the way he presents and we've been really proud to have him as captain of the Bulldogs."
Bulldogs five-eighth Josh "Grub" Reynolds
"We've been through a few things this year which has been interesting. About seven years ago a coach told him he'd never play NRL and here he is playing State of Origin and arguably a chance of getting named in the Four Nations team. It's just about him finding that right line between playing with that spirit and passion which has the capability to lift our while team and not crossing over that line which will get him into trouble. He's only 24 and he'll continue to grow with the experiences he's had this year."
Jim Doyle going to Warriors
"What I will say is that Wayne Scurrah has done an excellent job and should be congratulated for what he's done at the Warriors. Jim Doyle is a fantastic replacement who has a different style and is a tremendous appointment for the Warriors. I know that the Warriors are going to be much tougher and competitive because Jim Doyle's on their team."
The Panthers have beaten the Warriors in their first trip to Auckland in six years.