From Dubbo to the big smoke: Todhunter eager to clear path to NRLW

In the latest instalment in our special 'Telstra Hersday' series on the stars of the women's game, NRL.com talks to Eels hooker Taneka Todhunter about her remarkable journey from growing up in Dubbo to moving to Sydney to chase her rugby league dream. 

 

Taneka Todhunter has lost count of the hours spent in the car. 

The time spent sitting alongside her grandparents as they drove her from Dubbo to Sydney three times a week to train with the Roosters Tarsha Gale Cup side. 

While a five-hour drive in each direction might sound extreme for those based in the city, it's the reality for talented athletes from country areas who are chasing their sporting dreams. 

Unfortunately, not all youngsters have the means to spend hours driving to training and don't have the same opportunities to reach the elite level. 

Now a key figure in the Parramatta Eels NRLW side, Todhunter recognises how fortunate she was to have so many family members willing to do whatever it takes to support her.

"As soon as I finished year 12 I went straight into travelling three times a week," Todhunter told NRL.com as part of the Telstra 'Hersday' series. "My grandparents were ambulance officers so they could shift their work around to help. 

"We made a Facebook group so they could say the days they could drive me and my mum or dad would step in on the days they couldn't. 

"I was very fortunate, I wouldn't be where I am today without them."

Family has been a central part of Todhunter's life from her earliest years. The 22-year-old has 12 siblings, with a 13th on the way, and countless more cousins in Dubbo and surrounding towns.

The tribe spent their afternoons playing backyard footy at her nan's house while their weekends were spent watching her father and uncles running around for the Wellington Cowboys.

While her parents separated when she was young, Todhunter looks back on those formative years fondly, aware the rough and tumble in the backyard prepared her for life on the football field and as a labourer on the worksite.

"I had some things happen in my life where I had to adapt and change and be strong for my brothers and sisters but it's definitely made me stronger," she said. 

"A lot of people don't get to have both parents prominent, so I was lucky I did. It's also my grandparents. My nan played a big role raising us kids, it's something I'll cherish. 

"We were always at nan's house after school and on the weekend so we were basically raised together."

Away from football, life in Dubbo was tough. There was little to keep young people entertained and a culture of heavy drinking and drug use was widespread.

Todhunter's family did their best to shield her from the worst of the town and the inequality and crime that came with it, but it was a constant from as young as she can remember. 

"It was hard growing up in that area witnessing the drugs and alcoholism as a kid," she said. "I was pretty young when I first saw it, I've basically seen it my whole life.

"It's getting worse. I go back home and see it a lot more, it's very confronting."

After a season spent driving from Dubbo to Sydney, Todhunter made the move to the city's eastern suburbs. 

To say the shift came as a shock would be an understatement. 

A teenager who had never lived in a big city, she was largely left to fend for herself with no friends or family to lean on. 

She initially lived with a friend of the Roosters Tarsha Gale Cup manager who helped Todhunter find her feet.

Her teammates also did their bit to help the youngster settle into her new life but the adjustment process took much longer than anticipated. She considered abandoning her rugby league dream on multiple occasions.

"The first two years I felt unconnected," she said. "I felt like I didn't have anyone to talk to. I didn't have any friends. I had my footy mates but they're different to outside mates. 

"I felt lost when I first moved down here. I was getting a lot of home sickness because I am a very family-oriented person. My mum and dad would call me every day but it was really hard to adapt."

"If it wasn't for my family, especially my mum, I would have come home. I was really close to going back but I didn't want to just give up. I'm not the type of person to give up. 

"Throughout my time here I wanted to show the kids back home and in other rural areas that they can get out of there. Even if it's predominantly around alcohol, drugs, domestic violence, people can get out of it and you can break the cycle. 

"I know so many people that could've made it and they just go back home. I want to be a role model for young kids coming through."

Adding to the challenge of living in Sydney was the fact Todhunter's rugby league career appeared to hit a dead end in 2022. 

The hooker was a member of the Roosters extended squad when they won the rescheduled 2021 NRLW premiership in April 2022. 

I was really close to going back but I didn't want to just give up. I'm not the type of person to give up. 

Taneka Todhunter

Opportunities, however, were not forthcoming and she did not feature in the 2022 season.

Eventually the Eels offered a development contract for 2023 and Todhunter took it with both hands. The move changed the direction of the youngster's career and she made her NRLW debut in Round 5 last year. 

More importantly, however, it marked the first time she had felt fully comfortable in Sydney.

"I'd say I only recently found my feet," she said. "It's only since being with Parramatta that I've found that. 

"In 2022 I was really lost. I got complacent with my training, all I did was work, then go home and lay in bed. I pulled myself out of that and ever since being with Parramatta I've found a home."

After a tough season in 2023, the Eels have made an impressive start to their 2024 campaign.

Led by new coach Steve Georgallis, Parramatta currently sit third on the ladder with two wins from three matches. They are preparing to face the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on Sunday night. 

Todhunter has played a key role in all three games, coming off the bench in Round 1 before starting at dummy half in the past two weeks. 

The hooker noticed a distinct shift in the team's mindset throughout the pre-season that has flowed through to their performances on the field. 

"There's a fire in our bellies this year," Todhunter said. "Getting the wooden spoon last year is driving us. 

"Steve has been so good. He's given us all the skills that we need and helped us work on the things we need to work on."

Todhunter looks back on her journey with a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, she is thrilled to be living her dream and playing elite rugby league but on the other, she's sad it took a move away from Dubbo to open her eyes to what she can achieve in her life. 

Having now spent nearly four years in Sydney, she has no desire to go back and hopes others recognise the opportunities on offer beyond the regional town. 

"When it first happens it's hard to come to terms with," Todhunter said. "Honestly I would not go back now. There's so many opportunities with jobs, footy and a lot more activities. 

"I always want to be a role model to show my younger sisters and brothers that it doesn't have to be football but they can get out of Dubbo. A lot of people who are born and raised in small communities stay there because they think that's all they have or they're scared to move. 

"It doesn't have to be football, even though I do have siblings who look up to me in that aspect, but it drives me every day."

Todhunter may have made it to the top but she'll never forget what it took to get to where she is today. She won't forget the hours spent in the car, the sacrifices her family made for her and the challenges she faced trying to forge her own path. 

It's why the proud Indigenous women is determined to ensure the next generation has a smoother path to success, whether it be in rugby league or other fields.

Todhunter has initiated conversations with the Eels about what role she can play in establishing a talent pipeline from regional communities to Parramatta and what support the club can offer to young girls when they move to Sydney. 

It's an area she's keen to further develop throughout her playing career and she's contemplating a full-time role in youth development once she hangs up the boots.

"I want to start developing some actual pathways for kids to go from the country to Sydney," she said. "The boys have houses and mentors but the girls don't have any of that stuff. 

"I was extremely lucky with my family that I had support but a lot of people don't have that. There's so much talent in Dubbo, and just the country in general, that's not scouted. I'm hoping to be a mentor for kids from the country, especially Indigenous people, and help with programs so they can see an actual pathway."

"I didn't see a clear pathway, I had to force my way in. I feel like a lot of kids can't be what they can't see. Right now I'm trying to get my name out there so people can see you can do it. Hopefully in the near future we can start building those programs and I can be part of it."

Should Todhunter succeed, the road from Dubbo to Sydney will become a well-travelled one for a generation of female footy players.