NRL 2021: COVID pandemic shutdown proved beginning of new family for Jordan Pereira

Dragons winger Jordan Pereira will become a father for the first time in January - but he knows his ‘COVID baby’ won’t be an excuse to drag his feet at pre-season training.

Dragons player Jordan Pereira and his partner Sarah are expecting a Covid baby in January 2021

The height of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the NRL season but for St George Illawarra winger Jordan Pereira and his partner it marked the beginning of their new family.

Pereira has revealed his first child with wife Sarah is a ‘Covid baby’.

The thrilled father-to-be said the couple conceived during the NRL season shutdown and the statewide lockdown in April.

“We have our first little baby boy on the way. It’s very exciting. I suppose Covid did a lot of things but it gave us a lot of time to sort of do nothing and that’s what has happened from it, another Covid baby,” Pereira said with a laugh.

“I think it will be fairly common, they are going to start popping up in January or February … nine months from when Covid really started.”

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Jordan Pereira and wife Sarah are expecting their first child in January.

The couple revealed the news publicly in a serious of photographs on the beach via social media in October.

“Baby P. We are already completely in love with you. Arriving January 2021,” Sarah posted.

“Can’t wait to welcome our little man into the world! We are so excited to be parents and we love this little fella already!,” Pereira also wrote.

The 27-year old revealed his newborn son will arrive earlier than the expected date.

“She’s due January 28 but I think he’s going to come early. The scans are showing he’s going to be quite a big boy so he’s looking like a big fella already.

Pereira can’t wait to become a dad.

Pereira said his Dragons teammates, those who were already fathers, believed the flyer had perfectly timed the arrival of his first baby.

“They have said I have times it really well so that I’m in the pre-season, so I’m a place where I can afford to be walking into training like a zombie and being tired because that’s one of the things that’s going to happen with a baby,” he said.

But even a sleep-deprived Pereira is unlikely to be dragging his feet into pre-season training.

Pereira revealed there was a distinct change in the atmosphere in Wollongong under the new coaching regime of Anthony Griffin, Matthew Elliott and Peter Gentle.

“I feel like everyone comes into training and they walk through the locker room and everyone is happy. We know we are in for an absolute slaughterhouse of a running session but we are still turning up happy to be here,” he said.

The winger says there is a good feel in the Dragons camp.

“I don’t know what they have done that has caused that but I have noticed it is something that hasn’t been here in the past.

“In the past is just when you know you have a hard day ahead sometimes you walk in and don’t say hello to people because you’re daunted by the day ahead.

“Now we’re just excited to get better and be better athletes.

“It’s contagious, everyone feels the same way I do.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: COVID pandemic shutdown proved beginning of new family for Jordan Pereira