NRL: Family matters as St George Dragons’ Tyrell Sloan prepares to ‘explode’
He loves Billy Slater and Greg Inglis but it is two people closer to home who are providing inspiration for a Dragon’s young gun who says he’s ready “to explode”.
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No matter how tired he is from training, how busy, hungry or distracted, there’s one thing young St George player Tyrell Sloan never forgets to do each night.
As he starts to think about bed he reaches for his phone and makes an important phone.
“Nan, she is my rock. I try and see her every day and I call her every night to say goodnight,” said the 18-year-old of his grandmother Colleen Sloan.
“Nan raised me from two months old and she’s taught me so much.
“She taught me to respect people. It’s a main quality in indigenous culture, having respect for everyone and it’s a good lesson.
“But now I’m living with my brother Ashley. He bought his own house when he was 21. He left school in year 10 and worked so hard and saved.
“I want to be like my brother. He is the reason I started playing. He was better than me but chose to work.
“They are the people I want to do proud.”
A fullback, winger and part of St George’s long term plans, Sloan said working hard and doing his best for the club is his way of thanking his Nan and brother for their support.
“Success is a way to thank my nan. I want to make her proud every day,’’ he said.
“If I get to make my debut this season it’s for her and my brother.’’
Sloan was a member of the Illawarra‘s Steelers team which won the SG Ball competition two years ago.
Sloan, who was born in Campbelltown but moved to Dapto when four, played his junior football with the Dapto Canaries and loved it from the start.
“Forever I’ve known this is what I wanted to do,” the teenager said.
“I wasn’t sure I had done enough to be seen. There wasn’t a lot of footy last year.
“I’m ready to explode. We only had four teams in the Illawarra comp. It got quite boring.’
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Sloan is now working on making himself fitter, faster and bigger.
“I’m 83 kilos. I have to keep putting weight on and getting bigger in size.’’he said.
“I was 77 kilos at the start in November.’’
St George this season re-signed the junior quartet of Sloan, Amone, Josh Coric and Jackson Shereb-Schmidt.
All four played in the Illawarra Steelers’ SG Ball winning side in 2019 with Sloan and Amone on the books as 2021 development players.
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Originally published as NRL: Family matters as St George Dragons’ Tyrell Sloan prepares to ‘explode’
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