Meet some of the Gold Coast Titans women juggling jobs and footy finals

Many of the Gold Coast Titans female team also have day jobs outside of being professional rugby league players.

Many of the Gold Coast Titans female team also have day jobs outside of being professional rugby league players.

We catch up with six of them on how they juggle both, ahead of their NRLW Grand Final against the Newcastle Knights on Sunday afternoon.

STEPHANIE HANCOCK

It is tough to choose which job is hardest. The Titans prop works as a police officer when she isn’t keeping the team’s group of 18-year-olds in line.

The 41-year-old said it is tough to battle shift work but she loves what she does.

“It is stressful, I would like to have a full-time career in football,” Hancock said. “If Rilee (Jorgensen) is here then I definitely need to be here instead of policing,” she joked.

“She is as wild as a cut snake, but she is heaps of fun and she just loves having a good time.

“(Queensland Police Service) has been really supportive of my footy career, I haven’t had to do to much with shift swaps or anything.

“They’ve been pretty good to allow me to do day shifts and knock off, head down the M1 and come to training.

“Pretty sure Mad Monday I will start nightshift on Tuesday night, so will have to be sober by then.”

Working out of the Logan District Watch House, the station had a nice surprise for her leading up to the grand final this Sunday.

“I walked in (Wednesday morning) and (there was) my mugshot with all my Titan gear, they must have just jumped on google and googled me,” Hancock said. “They’d printed out every single photo of me for the last 20 years and put them up on the wall.

“Because as soon as you walk in there is my face everywhere, it was quite scary when I walked in.”

Working Titans players Steph Hancock Lauren Brown, Karina Brown and Brittany Breaaley-Nati ahead of the NRLW Grand Final Picture: Glenn Campbell

JESSIKA ELLISTON

Formerly at Rebel, now in disability support work, it has been a big step forward in her personal career for this Titans prop.

She took big strides off the field this year, chasing her dream to help those in need.

Elliston said she has had a few jobs she has loved but this one is something special.

“Before Rebel and working in disability, I was a hairdresser,” Elliston said. “I stopped doing hairdressing to pursue a career in football.

“It was a bit of a juggling act to try and work and play footy but if you are employed by someone who supports and understands the sport then it makes it a lot easier.”

It had been a rough week leading into the grand final with one of the boys Elliston looks after was wearing the wrong colours: “One of our boys was wearing all the Knights stuff, just to give us a bit of a wind up.”

KARINA BROWN

The Titans winger dominates on and off the field.

She was a sales representative at Struddys apparel, but in recent weeks found herself promoted to National Sales Manager. Brown said it is setting her up for a career outside of football when she retires.

“It is pretty involved and busy but I am very lucky because I work for Ross Strudwick who is renowned in the game ofNRL,” she said. “He is so supportive and whatever I need to do to make sure I play my best footy and still be able to do my job, he is all on board.

“I love managing people and I have done it in previous companies and it is taking that next step. I don’t have many games left in rugby league so I need to set myself up for what the future holds. It is where I got all my (management) experience from, through sport, rugby league and taking on a leadership role throughout my career.”

The former Jillaroo has played 11 games for Australia, nine for Queensland, five for the Women’s All Stars and one for the Prime Ministers XIII.

The 34-year-old said she cannot contain her excitement for Sunday’s grand final.

“I keep having to bring myself back down to neutral and have a nice calm week, but it is such a thrill,” Brown said.

“I played in the 2018 grand final where the Broncos beat the Roosters and I was with the Roosters at the time. But to get back to the grand final, five years later, thinking I may never get there again is special.

“We aren’t done with yet, we came here to win it and that is what we are going to do.”

LAUREN BROWN

On the field she starts fires. Off the field, this Gold Coast Titans hooker puts them out.

She isn’t just your average rugby league player - she spends half her week ready to fight some of Gold Coast’s dangerous fires. Brown said she has two of the most rewarding jobs in the world.

“Earlier this year I graduated the firefighting academy, it is a two-year process topped off by a four-month stint at the academy,” Brown said. “Now I am a firefighter on the Gold Coast with QFES, working out of the Surfers Paradise station and absolutely loving it.

“Work has been so supportive, I gave the boss a call on Monday after we knew we were through to the grand final.

“And he said to leave it to him, (that) I am playing in a grand final and that he would sort things out on his end.

“Amazing support, he got me the week off work to go and represent the Titans in the grand final.”

The 28-year-old juggles a four-day on, four-day off roster, where she finds herself doing two day shifts, followed by two nights: “You do two 10-hour days and then two 14-hour nights and then the rotation,” Brown said.

“All the stations have been so supportive, they put the televisions on and send me photos of them all around it watching.”

Brittany Breayley-Nati of the Titans celebrates with team mates after scoring a try during the NRLW Semi Final match between Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans at Allianz Stadium, on September 24, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

ZARA CANFIELD

The Titans second rower has been a part of the squad since 2022, and the 22-year-old this year had her full attention drawn to the game after work simply ‘didn’t work out’.

While the community-based support worker loves having an extra gig to keep her busy, she found her most recent job did not have the hours available through the playing season and was forced to take her name out of the hat.

“It was good when I was casual because they were very flexible,” she said. “I got a new job and they were so understanding of football and then they just stopped giving me hours.

“For me I’m a pretty chilled and low-key person so I’m very relaxed in that way and I never get too stressed. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

“I’ll definitely be working after football. I’ll have a lot of free time so it will be good to pick up more hours when footy isn’t around.”

BRITTANY BREAYLEY-NATI

The Gold Coast Titans hooker has proven herself a workhorse on the field after five years of NRLW, three with the Titans, as well as representing Queensland and Australia.

But the 32-year-old is just as committed to her full-time job she juggles all-year-round: Service Coordinator at Bradnam’s Windows and Doors.

“I take a lot of the traits of leadership at footy to my team at work so it’s quite handy being a leader at both.

“I feel like the qualities are similar. I like to keep busy as a person so working full-time as well as juggling a professional footy career is pretty cool.”

Breayley-Nati said she’s lucky to be in a role which works around her. My work is pretty accommodating. I do have an early start which gives me an early finish.”

“I’m up at 4:30am, finishing at 4pm before heading straight to pitch for training.”

2023 has been a step up from previous years for the co-captain: “It’s pretty tough to balance, with the early start and getting just a few hours sleep before having to do it all again after training.

“It’s amped up a lot this year with training four or five times a week,” she said. “But I know it’s only for a short amount of time so I’m able to put in all the effort I need in both worlds.

“For the girls moving forward, I hope one day (the sport) can go full time so they don’t have to juggle what we do now.”