The mother-son sacrifice driving Butler's 10-year dream

Daily phone calls across the Tasman to her seven-year-old-son often end in tears but Sharks prop Harata Butler knows her sacrifices will have a lasting impact on the next generation of New Zealand rugby league players.

Accepting it was best for her seven-year-old son Helios to stay at home in New Zealand is as tough as it gets for a single mother but Butler knows her sacrifice will help pave the way for young girls back home, dreaming of playing in the NRLW.

Signing an NRLW contract was a dream ten years in the making for Butler and an easy decision for one, however she knew pursuing a career in rugby league came as a logistical challenge for two.

“At the beginning of the year, he stayed back in New Zealand with family while I was playing Harvey Norman,” Butler told NRL.com.

“But in leading into the NRLW preseason, I said 'we’ll move over, look at some schools but if you don’t feel comfortable you always have the backup option to go home and live with Nanny and Aunty'.

“He came over for the first five weeks of preseason and the club loved having him around, he literally lived a player's life. He never missed training.

“But I think when he went to school there was a bit of a culture shock and we decided it was best for him to go back to his friends at home. And about six weeks ago he flew back.

“That was tough but I guess it's just part of the sacrifice that I had to make to be able to play football and as long as he's all good then I'm all good.

“I can cry to him through the phone and he will just pretend to listen to me,” Butler chuckled."

Admitting to some quiet and lonely nights in the Shire and keeping Helius’ attention on the phone often challenging, Butler said knowing her journey could make a difference for the next generation of Kiwi athletes is what gets her through the tough days.

“I just hope that what I'm doing and what others from back home are doing shows our girls that if you keep digging those boots in and doing the mahi (work), you never know what could happen,” Butler told NRL.com.

“We are a bit behind the eight ball at home. New Zealand Rugby League is doing as much as they can but we took a big hit when the Warriors withdrew their teams.

“Hopefully through my journey I can create more pathways for not only the next generation back home, but also some of the girls that have gone off and had babies and put themselves on the sidelines.”

While Butler is a rookie to the NRLW competition, signing her first contract with Cronulla earlier this year she’s a pioneer of the women’s game having been in and around the female rugby league space for over a decade.

Representing the Māori All Stars in 2019 and the Warriors 9s in 2020, Butler was sure she was heading in the right direction to make her NRLW debut before COVID put her promising career in freefall.

However, with the game gaining traction in recent seasons, Butler decided to give her rugby league dream one last shot when she joined the Rabbitohs Harvey Norman side earlier this year.

“I moved back home from Sydney eight years ago. Getting so close and then the game being kind of shut down due to COVID was a tough pill to swallow at the time and I went through a lot of personal stuff off-the field happened after that," Butler said.

“But I made the decision at the back end of last year to come over and temporarily relocate for the Harvey Norman season and have a crack at getting a start in the NRLW.

“I was travelling back and forth from home. I got to go home once a month for a week so I was fly in fly out really and I actually had to apply for leave without pay because I used up all of my annual leave.

“But when we played the Sharks Harvey Norman side, I was approached by Casey Bromilow (NRLW Pathways manager) straight after that game.

“In all honesty, even after signing the contract, it didn't really feel real. I said all of the pre-season 'it won’t feel real until I take the field.'

Butler has been a powerhouse for the Sharks since making her debut in Round 1 against the Raiders, breaking 11 tackles and averaging 96 run metres in the front row. 

"It's been a very special opportunity for me to be a part of a club that's building a legacy and making history. They've been fighting for this for so long now," Butler said.

"We know the first couple of games could have been a bit smoother and cleaner and I think we can execute some parts of our footy a bit better.

"But if we stick to our system and with more experience, we'll keep getting better moving forward."