Change as good as a holiday for St George Dragons gun Maddie Studdon
Former Jillaroo and Blues State of Origin gun Maddie Studdon did something she never thought she would do in the off-season and it has helped her become a better league player.
Southern Courier
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Rugby league gun Maddie Studdon knew her form was off and she had to do something about it.
She missed the cut for the Jillaroos late last year, had played just a couple of games with the Roosters in season one of NRLW.
So she decided on a course of action that has seen her shake things up on and off the field and put her in the firing line of some serious straight talking.
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First the Mascot junior left the country to clear her head, too a step away from the game and travelled around the US for a month, putting league on the back burner for the first time.
Then she switched teams and joined the Cronulla Sharks for the NSW premiership and took Player of the Match honours for the Blues in their Origin win.
Now Studdon is back thriving in the game she loves and playing a major role in her the St George Illawarra Dragons’ bid for a maiden NRLW crown.
“There was a lot of outside pressure and noise last year,” Studdon said.
“There was pressure with the Roosters being favourites, as a half back there was pressure there.
“There were high expectations because the Roosters were favourites and everyone expected the halves to be on fire.
“I have learned so much from that. The time out was also good because it made me realise how much I love this.”
Studdon said one of the reasons she felt compelled to move to the Dragons was to get constructive feedback from straight talking coach Daniel Lacey.
“It’s been good. We get along really well and he gave me a lot of feedback during the city country camp and it really helped me a lot,” she said.
“When he came to me I thought the change will be good.
“I feel like my game will grow here. Daniel Lacey is great with honest feedback and helping my game.
“He gives your own room to do your own thing but then is good at giving feedback.
“It can be confronting but it’s constructive and as a player you have to accept that.”
Studdon, who started playing league as a four-year-old with the Mascot juniors, now lives at Tempe and works part-time on Sydney ferries as a deckhand.
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“I’m on the boat to Parramatta a lot of the time,’’ she said.
“I’ve been there nine months now. They are great. They give me time off and really support me in my career.’’
The Dragons will be playing for survival in the women’s premiership on Sunday when they take on the Roosters in Australia’s first stand-alone NRLW match at Leichhardt Oval.