Extract from the book…
I really needed to see how a bush kid could make it, not just on the field of play, but in life during and beyond their time on the field…
UNE was an ideal campus for coaching…with each camp extending over six days and activities stretching from 8am until 10pm…things happened that are a gentle reminder to all…that life is about people with a common cause…I recall with a smile the first indigenous group of 10 from far west NSW, who we could not find in their individual rooms after lights out. All were found in just one room. Our liaison mate Darryl Wright said to me: “Mate, they’re fine , you just leave them as they are. It’s just that they’ve never had a room on their own”.
Given the indigenous population of Australia…players in the NRL…make up about 15 percent of the contracted players …an indigenous boy needs to have a chance to feel that rugby league can provide him with an opportunity, while at the same time meeting his parents’ expectations…
This…will be the catalyst for young indigenous players and will give them the confidence not only to venture beyond their playing life, but also into the business and administration side of the game and outside the sport itself.
…To read the full story click here to purchase One More Walk Around the Block