NRL star: ‘You’ve got to be careful these days’

Cronulla Sharks prop Toby Rudolf has spoken about the challenges of being an NRL star in the age of smart phones.

Cronulla Sharks NRL player Toby Rudolf has opened up on the Mental As Anyone podcast. Picture: Richard Dobson

NRL star Toby Rudolf sometimes wonders what life would have been like pre smart phones.

It is not because of anything sinister.

The Cronulla Sharks prop simply because he’d like to know what it felt like to life as a professional athlete without social media and without the risk of your every move being captured by a stranger.

“It is unfortunate, phones have just given everyone a screenshot into someone’s personal life,” he tells the latest episode of the Mental As Anyone with J.Mo podcast.

Toby Rudolf.

Toby Rudolf recording the Mental As Anyone podcast at ProPodcast Sydney.

“You’ve just got to be so careful these days and you’ve got to have your wits about you at all times. That’s the life we chose.”

Rudolf, 28, has been playing rugby league for as long as he can remember.

He has played first grade with Cronulla since 2020 and is one of the most recognisable athletes in the game today.

“You know, 20 years ago, before an iPhone was an iPhone and there was a Nokia E5 getting around when everyone’s playing Snake on their phones, it was different,” Rudolf explained.

“This day and age, the money is a lot better, the off-field deals are a lot more lucrative, and with that comes expectation … pressure.”

It is not something exclusive to football players, he continued.

“It is the same for I suppose if you saw (Today host) Karl Stefanovic in the same situation,” he said.

“I wish I’d played 20 years ago, put it that way, that would be sick. That would be the best. There was freedom and also housing didn’t cost as much so that would be nice.”

Toby Rudolf of the Sharks is tackled during the round 13 NRL match between Parramatta Eels and Cronulla Sharks at CommBank Stadium on May 30, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Rudolf discussed everything from close mate and fellow player Nicho Hynes to sporting legend Ian Roberts in the Mental As Anyone episode.

“Back in the day, they’d tell you to toughen up, eat a bag of concrete, toughen up,” he said.

“In this day and age, it has completely switched 180 degrees. Now it is more than okay, it is encouraged to speak if you’re struggling. We check in with each other all the time and it is nice to see, nice to be a part of.”

* A new episode of the Mental As Anyone with J.Mo podcast drops each Tuesday morning at 6am.

Originally published as NRL star: ‘You’ve got to be careful these days’