THATTO Heath-St Helens' Jenny Welsby flies off for her third Rugby League World Cup with England on Friday fully expecting to play in the biggest and best tournament yet.

With a final at Brisbane’s prestigious Suncorp Stadium, played as a curtain-raiser the men’s event, the women’s game will get a profile beyond what it has enjoyed before.

And success for England could see the game begin to match the significant strides made by women cricketers, footballers and rugby union players this decade.

Welsby, who has been in the England set-up since she was 19, sees the potential of those positive spin-offs but is focused on doing her best in the white shirt.

And after being edged in bruising semi-final final by New Zealand in 2013, Welsby and her team-mates are determined to beat the two strong Antipodean nations this time out.

The 28-year-old from Rainhill said: “It is very exciting and I was delighted to get the call because I'd had an injury early on in the year so had not played as many games as I'd liked.”

England feature eight members of the Thatto Heath-St Helens team, with Welsby joined by vice-captain Jodie Cunningham, Danielle Bound, Emily Rudge, Faye Gaskin, Rachel Thompson, Tara-Jane Stanley and Chantelle Crowl.

Despite the rivalry, domestically, between the two club sides providing most players to the squad – with champions Bradford Bulls supplying 10 – all that is forgotten about when they don the England shirt.

Welsby said: “When you get there it is all about the common goal of this World Cup so all the battering of each other and trying to get one over them goes away when we are in camp.

"We have a tough schedule of four games in 11 days, but unfortunately that's the way the women's game has to run. It is a cost thing; all the women have full time jobs so while the men go out there for six weeks, we have to save our holidays, have supportive employers and condense our comp into a fortnight.

"We have a day's recovery after the game has gone and then it is straight on to thinking about the next game," she said.

Playing the finale at the iconic Brisbane stadium is quite a juicy carrot dangling before the players, but for England stand off Welsby the match would have the same value regardless of the venue.

She said: "Suncorp is massive, but even if we were playing the final on a park field the fact that it is the World Cup means it is already huge.

"It is like the Olympics, around once every four years, and that is what we build for as international players.

"There is already plenty of hype around the tournament and we don’t need any more incentive to go out there and try and win the World Cup."

Welsby's first World Cup was in Australia in 2008 and she followed that up with the one on home soil in 2013.

She is hoping to use her experience to pass on to the younger players what is like to play the big games back-to-back and help them not be over-awed by the occasion.

They open their account with a game against Papua New Guinea on 16 November and follow that up with a clash against the holders Australia three days later.

England conclude their group games on 22 November against Cook Islands with the top two in each of the two pools going into the semis on 26 November.

All the games, bar the final, will be in Sydney starting with the one against the Kumuls.

Welsby said: "We don't have the same access to video as the men's game, but we expect Papua New Guinea to be a big powerful side running at us. We will be prepared for them.

"Australia and New Zealand have always been the top two teams.

New Zealand were favourites to win it last time but we gave them a tough semi and then Australia did them in the final off the back of that.

"Australia are going to be motivated — they will want to win it and be there at Suncorp but we want it just as much."

"The World Cup is definitely getting bigger and the very fact that the Women's World Cup final is a curtain raiser to the men's is something that has never happened before.

"It is fantastic to see how women’s football, with television and media exposure, and cricket and rugby union have grown.

"We in rugby league are moving in the right direction and if we can get a good result out there in Australia it will definitely help the game develop even more," she said.

Welsby has been playing rugby league since joining St Helens Crusaders aged six and stayed there in a mixed team until the under 11s after which she had to find an all-girls team.

Welsby said: "I carried on playing the game – but with no women's or girls teams in town at the time I had to travel.

"Luckily I had a supportive father who took me to Leyland and Rochdale to play at 14s and 16s level.

"Then they got a team over in Warrington, so I started playing there.

"And when Thatto set up a team it was perfect for me – it was like coming home after playing there from ages 6-11."

And she has tasted plenty of success there at Challenge Cup, Grand Final and European level — although this year they fell agonisingly short in the semi-final in circumstances Saints and their supporters will be familiar with.

Welsby explains: "It was strikingly similar to the way Saints got knocked out of the Super League semi by Castleford.

"We were winning and then Featherstone scored in the last play of the game to take it into golden point.

"Unfortunately, Rovers managed to get the drop goal over first.

"It was extremely gutting but we had a very young side in the semi final for that.

"As much as it hurts we will build from that and there were good lessons to learn from that and come back stronger."

Welsby has earned recognition for her achievements, which she shares with her colleagues at Thatto Heath, by joining Saints hooker James Roby and elite darter Dave Chisnall on the Pride of St Helens Sportsperson of the Year shortlist.

She will be in mid-air, en route to Sydney, when the winner is announced but she is nevertheless pleased to be nominated.

"It is wonderful to be recognized in the shortlist but that is off the back of what we have achieved as a team at Thatto over the past few years.

"With coming from St Helens, and playing for Crusaders when I was little, to get nominated for this is fantastic," she said.