How rugby league is helping Aussie veterans
A team established to support ex-service men and women will take part in the Vegas 9’s before the NRL season opener.
NSW
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A rugby league side created to help current and former members of the Australian Defence Force will take part in the Vegas 9’s tournament, which begins at Silverbowl Park on Thursday local time.
The Brisbane Veterans Jackals, established in 2019, have become a support network for ex-service men and women. The club president Aaron Wallis led a fundraising charge over the past six months to pay for the trip.
Mr Wallis said: “back in Brisbane, a couple of people told me this couldn’t be done. I said, watch me. We had the whole trip paid for by Christmas. Old school fundraising, meat trays, sausage sizzles.”
“For me, camaraderie is big and that’s what I missed from the military. I got lost when I got out. Having a team sport has helped myself and these boys as well” he claimed.
The team was granted access to the Brisbane Broncos training facility before travelling to the US, with Maroons legend Wally Lewis providing some final words of encouragement.
Sergeant Troy Roseman, who has served for 19 years including stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, said the Jackals had allowed him to “find the love of sport again.”
“I lost sport for a while, went through a few mental health issues. Found this club… played an Anzac Day game last year. It’s great” Sergeant Roseman said.
Coach Michael Hamer added: “it’s a really good feeling to come back, life after the army and we’ve got somewhere we can actually talk, bond and have a good laugh.”
The Jackals will feature in the Vegas 9’s alongside teams from Toronto, Brooklyn, Sacramento, San Diego, Atlanta and Florida. Also featuring in the tournament are the LA Roosters, with club chairman Nick Politis having already invested a large sum of money to grow rugby league in Los Angeles.
* The NRL has helped fund our team’s travel expenses to Las Vegas
Originally published as How rugby league is helping Aussie veterans
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