How NRLW star Tamika Upton built a winning mindset

Both on and off the field

The Dally M Medal winner talks playing professional footy, her Jillaroo test debut, and leaning on good mates.

Your first NRLW game was with the Brisbane Broncos in September 2019. When did you know you wanted to be a professional rugby league player?

When I got picked up by the Broncos it was a bit of a whirlwind and I wasn’t sure what I was in for. I was pretty much the last spot in the squad and ended up playing because there were injuries. I made my way into fullback in the grand final. I learnt so much in that first year, and it was during the course of it that I realised this was what I wanted to be doing. I worked really hard in the off season to be prepared for 2020. 

You’re originally from Rockhampton in Queensland and have mentioned before it’s pretty tough living away from home now that you’re based in Newcastle to play for the Knights. How do you manage the balance between career and personal life?

I struggle with being homesick. My family comes to a few of the games, which is nice, but I’m lucky to have really good friends here that look after me. I live by myself, so I rely on my friends a lot. If I stick to myself too much, then I feel a bit lonely. I think being vulnerable to my teammates has really helped. When you open up and talk about it, it breaks down any awkward barriers. And I think the better you gel [with your team] off the field, the better you gel when you’re on it. It goes without saying that when you’re out there with your mates, team cohesion comes naturally. 

You were ruled out of the 2022 World Cup due to a calf injury. How do you handle the process of recovery and having to be sidelined from games? 

I absolutely hate missing games. I actually missed two during our season with that injury and it was so frustrating. One of my main goals was to be injury-free and stay on the field every single game, so it was disappointing not to achieve that. 

In your Test debut at the Pacific Championships last year, the Jillaroos beat the Kiwi Ferns and you were awarded Player of the Match. How do you build that winning mindset?

Going into each game, I decide on three things that I choose to focus on. I don’t try and think about needing to score tries or do something fancy. Instead, it happens off the back of plays that you go in there to do, and sometimes it doesn’t happen. You need to be satisfied and comfortable in your own game, and I think that’s where I am at the moment. When it comes to the team, I’m always trying to learn a bit of soccer, and I watch a lot of the men’s matches looking for anything that we can implement into our game. As an athlete, I think always learning and always trying to get better is what keeps you going. 

What’s something that people might not know about you, which you think would surprise them to find out? 

That I’m actually quite shy and introverted. I think I’m pretty misunderstood, so I must give off the wrong impression to a lot of people. When we have new people on the team, they are often confused because I’m pretty out there when I’m on the field playing footy. But off the field, I stick to myself. I’d rather just be the person sitting in the corner, than the centre of attention.

NRLW's Tamika Upton. Image: Getty

Maintaining peak physical fitness is crucial for your career as a professional athlete. What training habits and regimes do you follow to help stay on top of your game?

This is something I've learned playing over the years -  particularly when I had a injury or had a pause fracture in my back and I pretty much had to restart and learn everything again. That was certainly a turning point for me. I learned so much about my body and so much about how to train, how to prepare, how to recover. In retrospect, I'm grateful for that. 

I tend to lose a bit of weight when I'm in season from running a lot, so I know I need to maintain the work in the gym that I'm doing. When it comes to preparation, I make sure I get to the club quite early. I start with a bit of mobility for myself, then I run through some training, I do whatever I may need to do with the physios, and then I sort of have my own little preparation dynamic warm up before joining the team. I think you have to find what works for you and what makes your body feel good.

Going into each game, I decide on three things that I choose to focus on. Image: Getty

Last year was huge for you as you secured an Origin series win with Queensland, were awarded the NRLW Dally M Medal, and also picked up a Knights Player's Player and Player of the Year award, topped off with a debut selection in the Jillaroos squad. How do you go about building on that success and what are your goals for the rest of 2024 and into 2025? 

I don't really think too individually, I prefer to focus on our goals as a team. However, when it comes to myself, I think I can always improve by working on my strength. I always try to build something different each year to my game.

You have been named as the number one player in the Top 50 NRLW Player Rankings heading into the 2024 season kick-off. What’s it like starting the season knowing you are the one to beat and how do you cope with that kind of pressure and attention on your game? 

To be honest I don't actually look at that stuff. It's based on opinion and I think if you start to read into all the good things that people are saying about you, you'll actually start reading all the bad things that people are saying about you. I have a few mentors close to me, and I listen to them and respect their opinions, instead of looking at what people are saying in the press and online.  

Originally published as How NRLW star Tamika Upton built a winning mindset