Palm trees lining the sidelines, a desert landscape backdrop and mountain views across the horizon recently welcomed the NT Titans to the Las Vegas Nines.

Even for the mob from the Top End, the Las Vegas surrounds appeared strangely familiar until they ran out onto one of six perfectly manicured fields at New Silver Bowl Park.

The Northern Territory women's representative rugby league side were invited alongside other teams from Australia, Canada and across the United States to participate in a unique international tournament in the shadows of Allegiant Stadium for the sport's biggest Vegas weekend.

But for the predominantly Indigenous and Pasifika women, who are everyday mums or have jobs outside of playing rugby league, they went into the nine-a-side fixture blind of the outcome.

For one, the side was not entirely prepared for drier and cooler playing temperatures that hovered around a pleasant low 20s.

But rather than enjoy the fresher weather, Titans coach Leon Cleal said the players were forced to adjust quickly.

"The girls struggled with that for a while with their breathing," Cleal told ABC Darwin radio.

"They're all used to the thick air."

Cleal said that probably cost the Titans their only loss on the end of a long day before the team eventually got on a roll.

Amid the current preseason with their respective clubs, Cleal was insistent the side could not have prepared any better until they touched down in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

"Conditioning-wise, we were pretty good, actually," he said.

"It was just that dry air into the lungs that the girls found it really hard the first couple of days to really get that breathing right.

"Hence why we went over there four days before the tournament to be able to readjust and get ourselves right for the change in weather."

The Titans, who travelled nearly 13,000 kilometres, cast aside East Palo Razorbacks – who arrived in Las Vegas from a mere 877 kilometres away in Northern California – with a comfortable 30-6 victory in their first tournament match.

Santa Rosa Dead Pelicans, from Southern California, were no match either in a 42-4 loss to the Titans that placed the Territorians on top of the 11-team competition after two appearances.

But the Titans hit an unexpected roadblock against the Ontario Ospreys, the Canadian outfit upsetting an Australian side in a 14-10 boilover.

The Titans got back on top in a 10-0 win over BC Storm – another provincial representative side out of Canada – that earlier defeated the Ospreys.

But it was an Australian-based Maori and Pasifika side – the NRLW's Rugby League Players' Association branded Indigenous Mana – that ended the Titans' rousing run amid their first and last crack of the knockout stages.

The professional players that are tied to NRLW clubs stumbled their way to sixth place earlier, but proved too good for the third-placed Titans when it mattered most on the back of a 18-6 scoreline.

Indigenous Mana went on to win its semi-final round match 18-14 against Renegades Rugby before a 24-14 loss to the Los Angeles Roosters – a side that included some talent from the Sydney Roosters NRLW club along with American-based players – ended the Mana's campaign in the women's Las Vegas Nines Cup final.

Cleal, on the other hand, had no complaints about the way his NT side conducted themselves, in a weekend which saw the NRL and English Super League simultaneously open their club seasons, while the Australian Jillaroos women's side stole the headlines with a 90-4 thrashing over England.

The Titans were earlier asked to present the Jillaroos with their jerseys in a further highlight for the part-time players.

"It was all just something unbelievable, surreal to the girls," Cleal said.

"To finish third on the table and make it through to the finals – unfortunately, we got knocked out in the finals – was a fantastic effort for a little ol' Northern Territory team, all the way from Darwin on the world stage."

Cleal said the opportunity to play outside of Darwin and experience a standard the team would never have faced otherwise was one that will lift each player's standards for the future.

The Titans have already been invited to play in a nine-a-side tournament in Hawaii later in the year, that is, should NRL Northern Territory are able to fund the trip.

"There were a few NRLW coaches there and different other people over (watching), but just that opportunity of playing against international sides," Cleal said.

"I think it is the first NT rugby league side that has toured (overseas) and basically winning games.

"This is a side that five years ago, they had never won a game.

"All of a sudden, we are on the world stage and competing."