Women’s rugby league veteran Honey Hireme preparing for her first season with the Dragons
HONEY Hireme never thought she would be paid to step out onto the pitch in the jersey of an Australian club in the first women’s NRL premiership. But that’s just about to happen for the Dragons' marquee signing.
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There is a lot the woman dubbed “Honey Bill” never expected when she dug into her own pocket for the honour of playing her first rugby league test for her country as an 18-year-old.
Honey Hireme never really imagined still playing the game at the elite level 19 years later as a mum or having her league and union feats recognised and compared to code-hopping great Sonny Bill Williams.
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“I just can’t seem to shake it,” she says of the nickname. “He’s a great athlete and a huge role model. I was very excited when he followed me one Twitter. Not sure if he still does though.”
He does. And Hireme never really thought that one day she would be paid to step out onto the pitch in the jersey of an Australian club in the first women’s NRL premiership.
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But that’s just about to happen with the New Zealand try-scoring sensational at last year’s rugby league World Cup in Australia a marquee signing for the Dragons.
“I thinks is a great opportunity. I think you have to open yourself up to experiences,” said the winger and 2016 rugby league World Cup’s leading tryscorer (13).
“Australia, being our biggest rival, did make me a little hesitant because I have played against the Jillaroos in the team.
“But rugby league brings people together. This is about comraderie. I’m not here as a Kiwi Fern but as just another player.”
Now 37, Hireme said the prospect of the women’s NRL premiership had delayed her plans for retirement after a storeyed career involving four rugby league World Cups and appearance at both rugby union and rugby sevens World Cup tournaments.
Likened to Williams due to her ability to cross sporting codes at the highest level, Hireme in recent times has played sevens rugby for New Zealand, captained the Kiwi Ferns at a rugby league World Cup and played 15 a side women’s rugby with the Black Ferns.
Now she’s about to launch her career as a Dragons player in a club not far from where Williams himself made a big impact on rugby league with the Roosters.
“I planned to retire after the last World Cup but the finals didn’t go our way,” Hireme said of the Jillaroos beating New Zealand for the top trophy in women’s rugby league last year.
“About the same time talk of the NRL premiership came up and I really wanted to be involved in the set-up of it.
“My body is still pretty good so I think I will keep riding the wave for as long as I can.
“Mentally it has been a lot harder being in the game. Mentally I am definitely considering retirement but I’ll let my body tell me when.
“Mentally I need to ensure I am in this for the right reasons, that I have a real fire in the belly, which I do.
“When that is gone, I will be gone.”
Hireme, whose teenage son favours basketball over any football code, has taken a leave of absence from her job as a disability life skills coach to play in the inaugural league kicking off during the NRL finals.
Now settled with the Dragons for almost a fortnight, Hireme has already kicked a personal goal with players she met for the first time this month.
“I’m hopeless with names so I set myself a challenge to learn ever girls name by this training,” she said of her second meeting with her teammates.
“I wanted to go round to them all and use their first names. It shows I am in this team with them.”
Hireme said she liked what she heard about the Dragons club, it’s ethos and plans for the future when contacted by coach Daniel Lacey.
“I was in contact with Daniel about the team being about both the competition and development,” she said.
“My observation was other teams were kind of stacking their teams. I kind of wanted to play for the underdogs.
“And I also really wanted to try something new and take myself out of my comfort zone.
“I was also keen to try an Australian franchise. It will be good learning for when I go home.”
The Dragons, Roosters, Broncos and New Zealand Warriors will all field teams in the inaugural premiership with the draw still to be revealed.
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