Last weekend, four Wests Tigers young guns attended the NRL Rookie Camp.
This annual event helps educate newcomers to the NRL about social responsibility; covering topics such as social media, respectful relationships, and mental health and well-being.
The Wests Tigers representatives at this year’s camp were Solomona Faataape, Luke Laulilii, Heath Mason and Will Craig.
Eighteen-year-old Laulilii was full of praise for the eye-opening experience.
“There was a lot of info to take in but the biggest thing I took out of it was talking about resilience and pressure, deciding how you're going to react to it and whether it’s going to be proactive or reactive,” the young winger said.
“They were talking about NRL careers not lasting for real long and about just having a backup for after footy as well.
“I'm only young, so that helped heaps.”
A key aspect of the camp is former NRL players delivering unique presentations on their personal experiences at the highest level.
2024 debutant, Heath Mason, was especially impacted by two former stars who addressed the group.
“I really took in what Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce said,” Mason explained.
“Obviously, they were very good players but they had a few muck-ups there, so it’s just making sure that outside of footy, I'm always making sure that I'm thinking about how this could affect my career.
“You can become known for that stuff and I don't want to be known as that sort of player, I want to be known as a good footy player that didn't make off-field mistakes.”
The NRL Rookie Camp builds upon the extensive education programs Wests Tigers deliver, ensuring players are well-equipped to deal with the transition from lower-grade football to the bright lights of the NRL.
