Jayme Fressard’s journey from wayward teenager to Roosters and Blues weapon and coaching gun

It wasn’t long ago NSW Origin debutant Jayme Fressard was a teenager going off the rails. Now she’s one of five Roosters players – and four Blues – making their way up the ranks of female coaching, using her story as inspiration.

They’re gun players and one day hope to be gun coaches too.

NSW Origin winger Jayme Fressard is in her third season of coaching the Central Coast Roosters Lisa Fiaola Cup side, along with NRLW teammates Jocelyn Kelleher and a strength and performance coach and Isabelle Kelly as assistant.

The Blues rookie, who will play her second State of Origin game on Thursday night, is a rising talent in the female coaching ranks having taken the side to the under-17s grand final two days after scoring a double on debut at Suncorp Stadium.

Mentoring young athletes is a personal mission for the Central Coast-born star, who works as a role model to kids by sharing her own experiences of being expelled from school as a teenager tied up with the wrong crowd.

Jayme Fressard (left) and Jocelyn Kelleher ahead of Origin Game 2. Picture: Supplied

It’s a pathway NSW Origin and Roosters coach John Strange helped guide her into.

“I do a lot of work in schools with youth and the youth programs, so once I had the opportunity to get myself involved in the junior pathways, Strangey saw it as an opportunity for me and I took it with both hands,” Fressard says.

“There’s so much talent coming through, and especially on the Central Coast where I’m from. It’s amazing to be able to give back and represent my area, that’s really special. And to give them a female athlete to look up to and to be there and give them someone to teach them the ways as well.”

Video of the Blues jersey presentation for game one went viral, showing Fressard overcome with emotion when presented with her jersey ahead of the series opener in Brisbane.

The 27-year-old has been open about her struggles as a youth and, after being expelled, found her way onto the right track under the guidance of a teacher to encouraged her to take up rugby league.

“This has been a dream for me as long as I can remember,” she said ahead of Thursday night’s game two at Allianz Stadium.

“It hasn’t been the easiest path for me to get here, but the most important dreams and achievements aren’t always easy, it’s that resilience and being able to push through it.”

She’s one of five Roosters players building a career in women’s coaching, along with her assistants Kelleher and Kelly.

Fressard and Isabelle Kelly celebrate victory in Game 1 of the series. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Blues hooker Keeley Davis is the head coach for the Roosters’ Indigenous Academy Tarsha Gale Cup side, with former NSW star Corban Baxter her assistant.

“Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be running a club all together,” Fressard says.

“I loved watching (Davis) this year. I think the girls really enjoy having us there, and they really absorb learning from an NRLW athlete. I don’t think there’s many clubs that give that opportunity so we all soak it up.”

Davis is on the path to becoming an NRLW head coach.

Her under-19s side made the Tarsha Gale Cup grand final only to be beaten by Parramatta 28-16.

Fressard’s team made it to the grand final. Picture: Sue Graham

“It’s all about development at that age and to get to a grand final, I was really proud of them,” she says.

“That’s definitely a dream, to make a living out of coaching would be unreal. Whatever that looks like.

“It’s a really unique position we’re in with the women’s game at the moment where we have so much off-season that we can balance this and it’s not going to be like that forever, so I’m just trying to enjoy the opportunities that I have now, and when I can’t any longer I’ll focus on playing, but the way the game is at the moment where we can do both, it’s exceptional.”