Josh Addo-Carr reveals how he rose from a street hustler to one of rugby league’s biggest stars

Josh Addo-Carr’s life has been far from a fairytale but the Kangaroos star would not have it any other way as he reveals his rise from street hustler to rugby league superman.

Josh Aodd-Carr rugby league artwork

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Josh Addo-Carr had all but given up hope of a rugby league career.

Despite being told countless times he was “too small, too skinny” to play the game it was his poor behaviour off-field which threatened to blow up his career before it had even started.

Addo-Carr was axed by his junior club South Sydney at just 17.

“It was stupid shit I used to do,” Addo-Carr said of his petty crimes. “All I wanted to do was make money. So I did anything I could to make money … Hustling. I was just doing stuff to make money.

“When I got sacked I was so disappointed in myself. I look back at it now I deserved it. If that stuff didn’t happen I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. It’s a blessing in disguise all the bad stuff that’s happened in my life.”

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Addo-Carr bounced around several clubs as a junior.

Addo-Carr was on bail when he was playing with the Rabbitohs under-18 team. He breached those terms after failing to report to police which led to a night in a cell. While he was released the next day, the ordeal almost cost him his career.

“It all caught up with me,” Addo-Carr said. “They sacked me. I was going to quit footy. I told my family I was going to quit footy. But my family told me to play A-Grade for the local club where the boys played. That’s what I did for a year. I fell in love with the game again.”

The season at the Moore Park Broncos reignited Addo-Carr’s passion. He went on to trial for the Sharks and earnt a trial and train contract with the club.

Addo-Carr has become one of the best wingers in the game. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.

“I wasn’t meant to play round one in the under-20s side and someone got injured on the day and it all started from there,” Addo-Carr.

Addo-Carr switched to the Tigers where he quickly found his feet in the top grade. A move to Melbourne in 2017 though shaped him on and off the field. Today he will turn out for the Kangaroos against Tonga having made his Test debut last week.

Addo-Carr only met Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga in the lead-up to State of Origin in Perth earlier this year. But the 24-year-old sat and heard how Meninga declared him the world’s best winger in front of his teammates.

“I never thought I would hear that from anyone,” Addo-Carr said. “When I thanked Mal, the coaching staff and my teammates, I just I never made any rep sides when I was kid.

Addo-Carr has become a fixture in the Australian team. Picture by Brett Costello.

“Now I was hearing that from an Immortal. I remember walking into our team room and all the players who put the Australian jersey on were on the wall. I looked down to the bottom right and there was my name. I had a smile from ear to ear.”

Addo-Carr has been entrusted with more than just delivering on the field. He is the team’s DJ whose legacy will remain long after he has gone after helping the side develop ‘Home Among The Gum Trees’ as the unofficial team song.

“We played Samoa in the nines and they were in the room next to us,” Addo-Carr said. “They started singing their traditional songs and they left. Mal is like we need to put on a song on. I put on Home Among The Gum Trees so everyone started singing it. It stuck with us now. It might be tradition … hopefully everyone remembers I started it.”

Originally published as Josh Addo-Carr reveals how he rose from a street hustler to one of rugby league’s biggest stars