Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw worked hard to land leadership role
BRONCOS women’s captain Ali Brigginshaw knew she had to evolve as a player and person if she ever wanted to be seen as a rugby league leader.
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BRONCOS women’s captain Ali Brigginshaw knew she had to evolve as a player and person if she ever wanted to be seen as a rugby league leader.
The talented half went into Australia’s World Cup campaign last year as one of the most experienced players in the squad, but she missed out on selection in the team’s leadership group.
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Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Brigginshaw saw it as a lesson. She knew it was time for her to grow as a leader.
On Sunday, Brigginshaw will lead the Brisbane Broncos against the St George Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium, in a historic moment for women’s rugby league.
She’ll be the club’s inaugural skipper – a reward for 12 months of hard work from the star player.
“I wasn’t in the leadership group for Australia and I wanted to be,” she says of her World Cup experience. “I had a word to [former Jillaroo] Karyn Murphy and asked what I can do to be a leader. I told her I wanted to be a captain one day.
“She’s really honest with me. She said I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I just needed to be patient and do certain things off the field… don’t stand in the corner, talk to people and get myself out there.
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“On the field, I had to learn how to be calmer.”
Brigginshaw said she took those notes from Murphy and other Jillaroos coaching staff and started to implement them throughout the year.
Off the field, the 28-year-old was known for being quite shy, but she’s opened herself up more, using events to introduce herself to strangers and get her name out there.
“I don’t really like to party or talk to different groups of people because I get quite nervous,” she says. “I’ve worked on that… I started off by just introducing myself to one person I didn’t know. It’s something I wouldn’t normally do but that’s come from asking people how I can be a better person.
“You never know who you’re going to talk to and their story.”
On the field, the changes were almost easier. It’s been a development that has come naturally with age and experience, but after her talk with Murphy, Brigginshaw was more aware of the need for her to be a calm head.
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“I always talk and direct people around on the field, but I had to also start telling the team to be positive when things got tough," she says. “Sometimes when the games got close, I would get flustered and make bad decisions. But the older I’ve gotten, I’ve definitely become calmer.”
Broncos coach Paul Dyer was not the only one who noticed Brigginshaw’s evolution, with the playmaker now in the Australian leadership group.
In the meantime, her focus is on the Broncos and getting them through their first NRLW season. Like all of the players, Brigginshaw can’t wait for kick-off to finally arrive.
"We all want it,” she said of the inaugural premiership. “You can see it in the team’s eyes. We want to hold that trophy. There’d be nothing better.”
The Broncos will host the Dragons in Round 1 of the NRLW on Sunday, with the Roosters to play the Warriors in their season opener on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium.
Originally published as Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw worked hard to land leadership role