But with social media at the touch of a finger, comments started flooding into sites like Facebook about how 'money was being wasted' on the side and 'how embarrassing' the Orchids were.

Unfortunately, it's not rare to see this in women's sport with players like Kuk told how to deal with trolls or ignorant people but for the Orchids players, who had never been exposed to this before found it hard.

"When you're in a public place and are an athlete there is always going to be someone who will voice an opinion and then they attack you directly because they feel like they have the rights to that," Kuk said. 

"During the World Cup time because the girls were put into it straight away and after playing only two games together as a team they were put in the spotlight where the whole world was watching and all of PNG so they were an easy target for everyone to have an opinion about.

"It affected a few of the girls because they weren't really trained in their mental part to be able to be resilient and bounce back from things like that but I think some of them just let it get to them and it affected them."

However, since their return home, attitudes towards the team and women's rugby league have slowly changed but there are still negative comments around.

Despite those comments, players are respected by most in PNG and are treated as role models to young girls in the country.

"When they walk down the shops and they are role models and idols now in Papa New Guinea and people stop them and want to take a photo with them," Kuk said.

"That's the impact they've had on their own country against and being able to change those mindsets."

PNG has long been a society which has put men above women even if Kuk's parents didn't say anything she knew this was the case. Women would have what is considered a traditional role in the household, being the homemakers and weren't encouraged to play sport.