Cronulla Sharks hit up Orara High School ahead of Titans clash in Coffs
Some of the biggest names in rugby league were on hand to chat to students just hours after touching down in Coffs ahead of their NRL clash against the Titans.
Coffs Harbour
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It was all smiles at Orara High on Friday afternoon as three of the biggest names in the NRL mixed with a lucky bunch of students
State of Origin and Australian representatives Will Chambers and Wade Graham, along with New Zealand star Shaun Johnson, spoke to young Indigenous students at the school and fielded questions ranging from how they gave back to the community and how they represented their culture.
The Cronulla Sharks stars had only just landed in Coffs Harbour ahead of their Indigenous Round match against the Gold Coast Titans at C.ex stadium on Sunday.
Chambers opened up on the challenges of leaving the remote Northern Territory town of Nhulunbuy for boarding school at the age of thirteen and revealed he would call home four times a day.
“That’s how homesick I got,” Chambers said.
In an indication of how the issue of concussion was something on the minds of even the NRL’s youngest fans, the players were asked how many times they had been knocked out.
While playmaker Johnson joked young players should take after him as he had never been concussed, the other two explained it was something they had dealt with in their careers.
Chambers said he had managed to minimise the risk by improving his tackling technique and hadn’t suffered too much in recent years as a result.
However, Graham had been less lucky and acknowledged it was a risk of playing such a physical sport, adding that it was a risk he was prepared to take to support his family.
Orara High student Tre Mercy said he enjoyed hearing what the players had to say.
“It was good, it felt really inspirational and I got a lot out of it,” he said.
“I felt like they answered (our questions) really well.”
Also visiting the school was Aramex Australia CEO Peter Lipinski, there to announce a $5000 donation to the Clontarf Academy, which supports young Indigenous men in the education system.
He said it was important to give back to the community and with the Sharks coming to Coffs Harbour it was fitting they would support the foundation.
“I think it is fantastic that they see these guys are role models and it is fantastic that Indigenous round is (happening) in the NRL and providing a lot of opportunities for different people,” he said.
Warwick Jones, who has worked with the Clontarf Academy for many years across Newcastle and Coffs Harbour, said the support from the program went beyond keeping kids engaged at school, offering them opportunities to build life skills and find employment after year 12.
He said having the players visit the school and chat to the students in the program was “unreal”.
“It is a big moment and something they will remember forever,” he said.
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