James Tedesco’s classmates wrote to The Daily Telegraph predicting his stardom in 2004
SYDNEY Roosters star James Tedesco has been handed his Kangaroos debut 14 years after it was first prophesied in The Daily Telegraph.
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SYDNEY Roosters star James Tedesco has been handed his Kangaroos debut 14 years after it was first prophesied in The Daily Telegraph.
His year six classmates were so impressed by the sporting ability of then 11-year-old Tedesco, they wrote into The Daily Telegraph in 2004 to boast about him.
At the time, his teacher at St Paul’s Camden, Jeff Vardy, forecast: “Without putting too much pressure on him, I’m sure he’ll go on to further representative honours with league later in his career, probably even representing his country.”
But there was one person who wasn’t always convinced Tedesco would go on to achieve all that he has before his 26th birthday, or at all for that matter.
When you ask his father, John, if he ever imagined his son would win an Origin series, the Brad Fittler Medal as NSW player of the series, an NRL title, and the Jack Gibson Medal as the Roosters’ Player of the Year in the space of 12 months, he begins to shake his head before the question is even finished.
“You don’t know, you just don’t know,” John said. “You drive your kid around to every sport, every weekend and you never know where it’s going to take them. But I’d do it all again for James.”
Right from the start John decided to take a tough love approach to his son’s athletic prowess.
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It’s not that John didn’t believe in Tedesco’s ability, his instincts as a parent were to protect him from the heartache of failure.
“I’d tell him he couldn’t do something, not because I was trying to hurt him, I didn’t want him upset if he didn’t make it,” John said.
“You tell him you can’t do something and he does it 10 times better. He’ll prove you wrong all the time.”
But from athletics to cricket and rugby league to football, a young Tedesco hardly ever failed at any sport he tried.
“He’d say ‘I want to play cricket’ and I tell him ‘look, you haven’t trained, you can’t do it’ but he’s so determined he goes out and gets 100 runs,” John said.
“He loved Little Athletics too. He used to run the 200 metres and when he'd come around the corner he’d just over take everybody.
“We went up to Queensland for the Australian Schoolboys trial and we went up there thinking he’s not going to make the team, they ended up putting him on the wing and he scored four tries in the first 15 minutes of play.”
While Tedesco’s first sporting love has always been rugby league, John remembers watching his son as a teenager playing for Western Suburbs Magpies in Harold Matthews, doubtful he had the size necessary to continue through the junior ranks.
“I remember him playing Harold Matts and he got smashed and I was thinking ‘ oh well, under 15’s, that’s a good level to achieve’,” John said.
But it was in those moments John underestimated his son’s drive and will to succeed.
“He wasn’t always the best player, there were better players than him but he is easy to coach and a good listener.
“He wasn’t the biggest player but he was brave.
“There is no way I could do what he’s doing, I’m so proud of him.”
Even Tedesco’s mum, Rosemary, still pinches herself when she think about everything her son has achieved.
“I knew if he applied himself he could be something but not in my wildest dreams did I think he’d get to this level,” she said.
“From a young age that’s all he wanted to be is a football player. He’s done everything he can to get to this point. His commitment and dedication and to come through all the injuries is just a testament to his determination.”
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