Former Canberra Raiders captain Terry Campese is preparing for a tilt at politics at the NSW election

NRL star Terry Campese is preparing for a tilt at NSW state politics, with his twin loves of sport and youth mentorship being the catalyst for his surprise move.

He was a Canberra Raiders captain before paying it forward by starting a youth mentoring foundation. Now Terry Campese wants to tackle state politics and use his experiences to deliver for his community.

Queanbeyan born-and-bred, Mr Campese is standing as the Labor candidate at the NSW March 25 election in the traditional Nationals stronghold seat of Monaro in the state’s southeast.

It’s a big ask on paper, but doable.

Monaro is a traditional Nationals seat which had a 10-plus margin until the by-election in February last year, following former deputy premier John Barilaro’s resignation.

Nichole Overall retained the seat for the party in a by-election, but the margin was reduced to 5.2 per cent.

Mr Campese is used to tough competitions, having played at the most elite levels of rugby league.

He is still connected to the sporting community, including at its most grassroots levels where he gets an insight into local issues.

Top of mind for Mr Campese at this election are issues such as emergency accommodation, the need for affordable housing, cost of living increases and empowering the communities within his electorate that covers Braidwood, Jindabyne and Queanbeyan.

“I’ve had a fair few conversations with people about the priorities of the community. From a state level it’s education, hospitals and roads,” Mr Campese told NCA NewsWire.

He sees community sporting groups as crucial places to foster this interaction.

“That’s a way you get to talk about what the issues are, be it health or education. A lot of these conversations happen while people are watching their kids play sport,” he said.

Terry Campese began playing rugby league and union at age five. Picture: Supplied.

And that is why sport funding is important to him.

NSW Labor has already committed $18.25m to revitalise community sports if they win the March election.

This includes $5m of funding in 2023-24 and $250,000 year-on-year to Sport NSW to support the expansion of female sporting leadership and programs to fast track female coaches.

With households facing rising financial pressures, Mr Campese said the proposed funding could allow more children to participate in sport.

“The cost of living at the moment has gone through the roof as well so even playing sport is putting pressure on families, with registration costs,” said Mr Campese.

“So if they have to pay for equipment on top or focus on getting funds to participate it’s added pressure for our local families.”

Terry Campese representing NSW in the 2009 State of Origin. Picture: Mark Dadswel l/Getty Images

He also played with the Canberra Raiders from 2004 to 2014. Picture: Brendon Thorne/ Getty Images

While he would go on to play for the Canberra Raiders and represent Australia in the World Cup, sport also taught him the importance of community and mentorship.

“I realised the importance of mentors in your life. No matter what someone is going through, it just takes one mentor in someone’s life to get them back on track,” he said.

Both values have becoming a running theme throughout his career.

In 2019 he began a youth mentor program through his charity, the Terry Campese Foundation.

The event that inspired on his passion came when he was a teenager.

Faced with a struggle that would determine the future of his career, it was a conversation with a coach from a completely different sport that put Mr Campese “back on track”.

Having played both rugby league and union since the age of five, it was time to commit to a code and Mr Campese – the nephew of Wallabies great David Campese – was plagued by indecision.

“There was a time where I was really, really struggling with sport and the pressures of deciding between rugby league and union. I didn’t know which direction to head in and had the pressure of my uncle playing rugby union,” he said.

“I leant heavily on Jan (Browne) and we decided to take a break from rugby league and union and concentrate on basketball, which I did.

“That definitely helped clear my mind.”

When announcing Mr Campese’s run for the seat of Monaro, the athlete-turned-politician was described by NSW Labor Leader, Chris Minns as “one of Queanbeyan’s favourite sons”.

“There’s a role for politicians, and those that have been involved in politics for most of their life, but there’s got to be a bigger role for people that answer the calling for community service and decide to run for state parliament to do their bit,” said Mr Minns.

Whether Mr Campese’s spirit is enough to return the electorate to Labor after 12 years remains to be seen, however, he’s aware of the gravitas of the job.

“I’ve made it clear to the community that I’m there to advocate for the gaps and the issues,” he said.

“Obviously with pre-election promises and the like, I need to keep Labor accountable and make sure we do follow through with these promises.”