Lucy Penisini reveals the highs and lows that come with life as an NRL mum

There’s a whole lot of love in the Penisini household, a close-knit Tongan family that is dominated by the rhythms of the rugby league calendar.

If mum’s cooking it’s a good night in the Penisini household.

And it usually involves a lot of meat.

Steak, chicken or lamb. Sometimes salmon, but that’s not one of her specialities.

No matter what’s on the menu, afternoons are hectic for Lucy on any typical day.

Parramatta star Will, 22, and his younger brother Richard, 20, who is part of the Eels’ top 30, have usually come home from NRL training and are raiding the cupboards of their Kellyville home for food.

Dad Richard and eldest brother Albert, 24, are getting home from a day on the tools running the family’s demolition and property maintenance business.

Lucy works from home in project management for a software development company.

“We’re all quite busy, everyone doing their own thing,” she says.

“Everyone dribbles in over the afternoon, looking for dinner. As you could imagine a house full of men, they’re always in the fridge or cupboards looking for something.

“They love their meat... and sometimes that’s easier to just chuck it on the BBQ, whoever gets home early or whoever is free will pick up the cooking and make dinner.

“Most of the time it’s me. My husband cooks sometimes, but the boys tend to message the family group chat through the day “are you cooking dinner tonight?”

Lucy Penisini at home in Kellyville with her sons Will (left) and Richard (right) who play for the Parramatta Eels. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Dad is more of an experimental cook, you see, so it’s best to check.

He’s a hard worker too, and the only time he’s ever in front of the TV for an extended period of time is watching replays of the boys’ games.

And he watches them all diligently.

“Ever since the boys were young, they would watch the replays with Richard,” Lucy says.

“He’ll critique their games and give them his opinion. They have a really special bond with their father.”

There’s a whole lot of love in this close-knit Tongan family, who make the effort to spend at least one night at the dinner table together every week.

It’s just one way the family cherish each other.

“It’s part of our tradition to name kids after family members,” Lucy explains.

“Richard is named after my husband and also my grandfather, William is named after my father, and Albert is named after my father in law. Everyone has similar names, so when we’re all in the same household we tend to use the nicknames.”

We ask, but she’s not giving up those family secrets so easily.

THE THREE BROTHERS

All three boys walked different paths when it comes to sports.

Will is an NRL player and debuted as a teenager for the Eels.

Richard spent most of last year sidelined with an ACL injury after joining the first grade team for the pre-season, and has only just worked his way back into Parramatta’s NSW Cup side.

The pair hope to form part of the Eels backline soon.

“It’s always a dream for siblings to play with each other, but he’s finding his rhythm at the moment and he’s giving it a red hot crack,” Will says of his little brother.

“When we were juniors we never really played with each other, but we took it more seriously when we got older, and I started playing and he was coming through the juniors.

“They won the SG Ball grand final, and then after school he came and did a couple of weeks with us and then got the injury which has set him back a bit.

“But when the time is right it will happen. There’s no pressure at all on him.”

Albert, the oldest of the trio, was a talented rugby union player.

But he suffered several long-term injuries in the last couple of years, a broken ankle and knee problems, and is now focused on the family business.

The boys are all close, but through the ups and downs of injuries, victories and losing streaks, the mood in the house fluctuates accordingly.

“It’s scary when they get injured, but I suppose I see a lot of the flip side of it, what people don’t see, the time and effort and support they need during the recovery,” Lucy says.

“I’m normally there at the hospital with them whether it’s a day surgery or whatever it is. That’s when they’re calling for mum.

“They’re pretty good at knowing what to do, but I’m making sure they remember to take their medication, waking up at 2am or 4am to do whatever they need to do. Normally they’re quite good at setting the alarms, but it’s something I always check.

“(Recovery is) one of those things that takes time, you can’t rush it. The boys have a great support network whether it’s a home, friends or at the club. It’s a part of sport.”

They never stay down for long.

Will started his career with the highs of the 2022 season, when the Eels made the grand final.

But last season the Eels finished 16th, and the start of this year has been rough on the club with two wins from their first nine games.

“With any player, if they have a loss they’re a little bit down, but they don’t have a lot of time to dwell on it,” Lucy says.

“They have the next game to think about. We come home, we have our chats, and there’s a couple of things that’s mentioned, but you’ve got to focus on the next game.

“It’s always been the case, you’ve got a game next weekend, dust off the dirt and move on.”

CONSTANT SUPPORT

Between them, there’ve been just three Eels games across the past few years mum and dad have missed.

They’re a constant presence in the sheds after Eels games all across the country.

Last week was Will’s turn.

He arrived back in Sydney from Magic Round in Brisbane at noon on Saturday, and drove from the airport to Henson Park to watch Richard make his NSW Cup return.

“He went through the ACL injury, which was tough for him, but it was character building for him and he’s coming out the other side now,” Will says.

“He’s finding his rhythm.

“He just needs to take care of himself. He’s still young, he’s still learning the game and it’ll be good for him to find himself and play his own game.

“I just want him to play good quality footy and when that opportunity comes for us to play together, it’ll come, but if it doesn’t, he’s having fun.”

Originally published as Lucy Penisini reveals the highs and lows that come with life as an NRL mum