Growing up, all Kate McCarthy wanted to be was the first female Brisbane Broncos player.
It was a big dream for a little girl obsessed with the male-dominated game of rugby league, especially one with a serious heart condition.
McCarthy was just 10 years old when she was fitted with a pacemaker for a stage-three chest blockage that was causing her to have seizures, sometimes up to seven times a day.
Doctors weren’t sure if she would ever play sport, especially high contact sport, but boy, did she show them.