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Rugby sevens Olympic champion Emma Tonegato's experience has shone in a dominant NRLW arrival that will peak in Sunday's grand final.

Tears of joy and sadness shed in every corner of the world have led newly-minted NRLW Dally M Medallist Emma Tonegato to this moment.

One of the country's pioneering professional female footballers with Rugby Australia, the St George Illawarra fullback has slipped seamlessly into life as a rugby league star.

Among Australia's best in their historic 2016 Olympic gold medal win, Tonegato dominated the World Series and knocked back approaches from NRLW clubs to instead play again at last year's Tokyo Games.

The country's first fully-professional women's football program was poked and prodded on their way to Olympic and World Series glory by out-of-the-box coach Tim Walsh.

And the intense nature of the sport, where every error is magnified, built a resilience that has held Tonegato in fine stead before Sunday's NRLW grand final against the Sydney Roosters in Redcliffe.

"I was probably crying wasn't I," a laughing Tonegato told AAP about one of the rare low moments of her sevens career.

"Having that eight years as a professional has prepared me.

"I've been in big games before, learnt how to deal with my emotions and hopefully it'll all come to fruition on Sunday.

"I know the girls can get really nervous about things like that, so I try and help them relax but it just comes with experience."

A joint Dally M Medal winner with Millie Boyle, the 27-year-old Tonegato has been a clear example of what's possible if the growing league gets its wish and becomes fully professional.

"We were excited to see how she'd attack the ball, but also the competitiveness she'd bring," Dragons coach Jamie Soward said.

"You look at what she's done in a short time back, the way she's played the game.

"We all agree that's where we want to get the women's game to, all pro all the time, Emma's the perfect role model for that."

Whether Tonegato will be part of that future is still uncertain, the Wollongong talent and occupational therapist non-committal when the question was posed.

"Ever since the NRL started I wanted to see how I'd go; I'd watch the girls on TV and want to have a crack," she said.

"And everything fit perfectly this year, working and living in Wollongong.

"It is so tricky trying to rush from work to training, even though it's only a 10-minute drive.

"I'm always the last one to the meetings ... we're fortunate to be able to earn a living and get paid for this, on top of that.

"But it's quite stressful and it's tough; you're giving up all your nights during the week and your weekends.

"It is a big commitment, so I'll just enjoy this weekend and enjoy just being me for a little bit, then reassess after that."