Fressard's path from school expulsion to Origin arena
By her own admission, the Sydney Roosters winger was acting up and hanging out with a bad crowd when she was expelled from high school a little more than 10 years ago.
"I was probably people-pleasing a little bit and getting caught up in the wrong crowd," she told AAP ahead of Thursday's Origin II.
"I feel like I didn't have a certain amount of people that believed in me."
School had never been Fressard's favourite place, so starting fresh at Gorokan High on NSW's Central Coast would've felt daunting.
But it was at Gorokan that a teacher first put a rugby ball in Fressard's hands, with the naturally athletic teenager preferring soccer up to that point.
Fressard had never known that footy was even an option available to her.
"One of the teachers asked if I wanted to play rugby sevens. I thought, 'Oh my God, girls can play tackle?' I took that opportunity," she said.
Fressard excelled so quickly that at 17, she was selected to represent Australia at the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa.
Feeling more at home at Gorokan, Fressard finished year 12 - an impressive effort given how things had ended at her previous school.
When fellow Central Coast local and current NSW captain Isabelle Kelly invited her to train with local rugby league team the Berkeley Vale Panthers, Fressard's footy journey took another turn.
Fressard fell in love with the game and went on to earn an NRLW contract with Brisbane for the 2020 season.
A premiership winner with the Roosters last season, Fressard excelled on Origin debut for NSW last week, scoring two tries in a record-breaking 32-12 rout of Queensland.
She's now only 70 minutes away from becoming a State of Origin champion, with NSW hoping to reclaim the Origin shield for the first time since 2022.
Score three more tries this series and Fressard could equal Kelly's record as the Blues' most prolific tryscorer of the Origin era.
The heights she's scaled in rugby league have left Fressard to look back at expulsion from school as one of the most significant moments of her life.
"In a way it was actually a blessing in disguise. It ended up being the best thing that happened to me," she said.
"New change of environment, some new teachers that believed in me ... In two years, I had a very different perspective as well on life."
These days, when she's not playing footy herself, Fressard works for not-for-profit organisation Creating Chances helping mentor teenagers through sport.
She even spends time back at Gorokan High trying to have the same positive influence on kids that her teachers had on her 10 years ago.
"I'm pretty honest and I'm pretty raw with my experiences growing up with the kids," she said.
"I understand that school's not for everyone but I think there's two different pathways you can go down.
"It's trying to show kids that just because that's a pathway that you have, doesn't mean that's where you have to stay on.
"You can always change your course. I really try and encourage the youth and show them that if I can do it, anyone can do it."
If Jayme Fressard hadn't been kicked out of school in year 10, she probably wouldn't be lining up for NSW and taking a shot at State of Origin glory.
By her own admission, the Sydney Roosters winger was acting up and hanging out with a bad crowd when she was expelled from high school a little more than 10 years ago.
"I was probably people-pleasing a little bit and getting caught up in the wrong crowd," she told AAP ahead of Thursday's Origin II.
"I feel like I didn't have a certain amount of people that believed in me."
School had never been Fressard's favourite place, so starting fresh at Gorokan High on NSW's Central Coast would've felt daunting.
But it was at Gorokan that a teacher first put a rugby ball in Fressard's hands, with the naturally athletic teenager preferring soccer up to that point.
Fressard had never known that footy was even an option available to her.
"One of the teachers asked if I wanted to play rugby sevens. I thought, 'Oh my God, girls can play tackle?' I took that opportunity," she said.
Fressard excelled so quickly that at 17, she was selected to represent Australia at the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa.
Feeling more at home at Gorokan, Fressard finished year 12 - an impressive effort given how things had ended at her previous school.
When fellow Central Coast local and current NSW captain Isabelle Kelly invited her to train with local rugby league team the Berkeley Vale Panthers, Fressard's footy journey took another turn.
Fressard fell in love with the game and went on to earn an NRLW contract with Brisbane for the 2020 season.
A premiership winner with the Roosters last season, Fressard excelled on Origin debut for NSW last week, scoring two tries in a record-breaking 32-12 rout of Queensland.
She's now only 70 minutes away from becoming a State of Origin champion, with NSW hoping to reclaim the Origin shield for the first time since 2022.
Score three more tries this series and Fressard could equal Kelly's record as the Blues' most prolific tryscorer of the Origin era.
The heights she's scaled in rugby league have left Fressard to look back at expulsion from school as one of the most significant moments of her life.
"In a way it was actually a blessing in disguise. It ended up being the best thing that happened to me," she said.
"New change of environment, some new teachers that believed in me ... In two years, I had a very different perspective as well on life."
These days, when she's not playing footy herself, Fressard works for not-for-profit organisation Creating Chances helping mentor teenagers through sport.
She even spends time back at Gorokan High trying to have the same positive influence on kids that her teachers had on her 10 years ago.
"I'm pretty honest and I'm pretty raw with my experiences growing up with the kids," she said.
"I understand that school's not for everyone but I think there's two different pathways you can go down.
"It's trying to show kids that just because that's a pathway that you have, doesn't mean that's where you have to stay on.
"You can always change your course. I really try and encourage the youth and show them that if I can do it, anyone can do it."
If Jayme Fressard hadn't been kicked out of school in year 10, she probably wouldn't be lining up for NSW and taking a shot at State of Origin glory.
By her own admission, the Sydney Roosters winger was acting up and hanging out with a bad crowd when she was expelled from high school a little more than 10 years ago.
"I was probably people-pleasing a little bit and getting caught up in the wrong crowd," she told AAP ahead of Thursday's Origin II.
"I feel like I didn't have a certain amount of people that believed in me."
School had never been Fressard's favourite place, so starting fresh at Gorokan High on NSW's Central Coast would've felt daunting.
But it was at Gorokan that a teacher first put a rugby ball in Fressard's hands, with the naturally athletic teenager preferring soccer up to that point.
Fressard had never known that footy was even an option available to her.
"One of the teachers asked if I wanted to play rugby sevens. I thought, 'Oh my God, girls can play tackle?' I took that opportunity," she said.
Fressard excelled so quickly that at 17, she was selected to represent Australia at the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa.
Feeling more at home at Gorokan, Fressard finished year 12 - an impressive effort given how things had ended at her previous school.
When fellow Central Coast local and current NSW captain Isabelle Kelly invited her to train with local rugby league team the Berkeley Vale Panthers, Fressard's footy journey took another turn.
Fressard fell in love with the game and went on to earn an NRLW contract with Brisbane for the 2020 season.
A premiership winner with the Roosters last season, Fressard excelled on Origin debut for NSW last week, scoring two tries in a record-breaking 32-12 rout of Queensland.
She's now only 70 minutes away from becoming a State of Origin champion, with NSW hoping to reclaim the Origin shield for the first time since 2022.
Score three more tries this series and Fressard could equal Kelly's record as the Blues' most prolific tryscorer of the Origin era.
The heights she's scaled in rugby league have left Fressard to look back at expulsion from school as one of the most significant moments of her life.
"In a way it was actually a blessing in disguise. It ended up being the best thing that happened to me," she said.
"New change of environment, some new teachers that believed in me ... In two years, I had a very different perspective as well on life."
These days, when she's not playing footy herself, Fressard works for not-for-profit organisation Creating Chances helping mentor teenagers through sport.
She even spends time back at Gorokan High trying to have the same positive influence on kids that her teachers had on her 10 years ago.
"I'm pretty honest and I'm pretty raw with my experiences growing up with the kids," she said.
"I understand that school's not for everyone but I think there's two different pathways you can go down.
"It's trying to show kids that just because that's a pathway that you have, doesn't mean that's where you have to stay on.
"You can always change your course. I really try and encourage the youth and show them that if I can do it, anyone can do it."
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Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Let them go – Samoa defectors might just save international footy
Humphreys, steering by the star of what was good for rugby league in the long term, not what was good for NSW in the short term, agreed. The result? Rugby league entered the big time, garnered eyeballs by the ship-load from all over the country, and indeed the world, and the game made BILLIONS of dollars out of it. All because administrators had foresight! Isn't that precisely the kind of situation league finds itself in now, contemplating this issue? Origin is so big that it completely dwarfs league's 'international game' because of a severe lack of serious competition. The absurd Rugby League World Cup fools no-one, because they don't actually play league seriously in most of the countries represented. The only nations that genuinely compete are Australia, New Zealand and England. But now, with so many Pasifika players going so brilliantly, there is a real chance of new contenders emerging, led by Samoa. 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The Australian flyer broke her own women's mile record, registering 4:13.68 to finish a couple of seconds behind Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay. England and Spain. Contest the final of the UEFA European Women's Championship. Scottie Scheffler. Now the undisputed biggest name in golf right now, because he keeps winning, including the British Open last weekend. The LIV sell-outs, meantime, ever more irrelevant. Have only won two majors between them, since LIV started. Felix Baumgartner. Extreme sports pioneer died as he lived in a paragliding accident, in Italy this week. You might remember as the bloke who more or less parachuted from space, back in 2012, jumping from 40 km up in the stratosphere. It still mesmerises. Cameron Smith. The only professional golfer to have been in all four majors this year, but failed to make the cut at all four. LIV appears to have destroyed – you heard me – his game, at least in the majors. But look, he's got squillions, so I guess that's the main thing. 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The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
Let them go – Samoa defectors might just save international footy
Humphreys, steering by the star of what was good for rugby league in the long term, not what was good for NSW in the short term, agreed. The result? Rugby league entered the big time, garnered eyeballs by the ship-load from all over the country, and indeed the world, and the game made BILLIONS of dollars out of it. All because administrators had foresight! Isn't that precisely the kind of situation league finds itself in now, contemplating this issue? Origin is so big that it completely dwarfs league's 'international game' because of a severe lack of serious competition. The absurd Rugby League World Cup fools no-one, because they don't actually play league seriously in most of the countries represented. The only nations that genuinely compete are Australia, New Zealand and England. But now, with so many Pasifika players going so brilliantly, there is a real chance of new contenders emerging, led by Samoa. 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And yes she even listened patiently, as I waxed lyrical on how wonderful I – if we can bring it back to me for a moment, Evonne? – found it to be at the women's and men's singles finals, myself, a fortnight ago, nodding sagely as I talked of the atmosphere, the spectacle, the whole damn thing! Swing and a miss, K-Man I'm sorry, my friend Darren Kane, but I'm just going to have to go with me on this one. For yes, I saw your column this week, which included the words in the headline, 'Greg Norman was right,' – Waiter! Shoot me! – and maintained that it was unfair that LIV golfers don't have their performances in LIV tournaments counted for rankings in getting into the Majors. Darren, I thought we had been through this before? I can't remember who I am misquoting now, and it might even be myself, but LIV golfers complaining about their disappearance from the world rankings, after they took the money and ran, is like a bloke who murders his parents pleading with the judge for mercy because he is now an orphan. The sheer chutzpah would kill a brown dog. The LIV golfers took the blood money. They knew what they were doing. They knew the damage it would do to golf. But they still want to play nice when it comes time for the majors? What's that expression again? I remember now – it rhymes with 'Kiss off!' As to the mooted merger of LIV with the PGA, why would the PGA do that now? We are now into the fourth year of LIV, and it is clear: no-one cares. Its ratings are abysmal, its tournaments make no buzz anywhere but Adelaide, and no-one talks about it. In all that time, only twice has a LIV player won a major, and those who have gone are not really missed. Loading And if a version of LIV comes along for rugby, as has been mooted – called R360, and headed up by former England captain Mike Tindall – it will meet the same fate, only quicker. Tonight we will see a great match between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions, a Test with nigh-on 150 years of history behind it. Tens of thousands of people have come from all over the world to watch it, and will love every moment of it. Now, take exactly the same team, pay them millions each and call them the Saudi Slaughterers on one side, and the Mohammad Bin Salman Murderers on the other. Would we watch? Would we care? We would not. Kiss off, Tindall! What They Said Scottie Scheffler after winning the British Open: 'I don't think I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are. In some circles, like right now I'm the best player in the world. This week I was the best player in the world. I'm sitting here with the trophy. We're going to start all over in Memphis, back to even par, show goes on.' Scheffler doubles down on his comments last week, about golf trophies being no big deal when what he really wants to be good at is being a husband and father: 'Am I grateful for [winning]? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. But having success in life is not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart. Just because you win a golf tournament doesn't make you happy - but I'm pretty excited to celebrate this one.' Lions star Owen Farrell on online trolls: 'But I understand that it's different now. I understand times are different and things catch fire quicker. Things grow legs, take a life of their own, go wherever they go and there's momentum behind them. But no, I don't always understand it.' How about Farrell dealing with praise and not just abuse? 'Both are a poison ... I guess the people I think we should listen to are the proper rugby people – your mates. Not that those people will just pat you on the back.' Nick Kyrgios after a doubles match: 'Knee cooked but fans still f--ed with us.' No, I have no idea, either. The Association on American Indian Affairs doesn't want Donald Trump to make moves to bring back the Redskins and Indians: 'These mascots and names do not honour Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures. Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment. Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation.' Bravo. English footballer Esme Morgan on how the Lionesses wound down after their match against Sweden: 'There was a lot of laughing at things that happened within the game, a few of us got together to watch that night's 'Love Island episode to try and tire us out.' Tom Lynagh on taking on the Lions: 'No point to prove, just go out there and play my game. It was incredible experience. It's my first time playing at Suncorp when it's packed out. It's always something I wanted to do and follow in Dad's footsteps. So, I'm living the dream now. It's a proud moment for myself and my family.' On being targeted physically: 'It's part of the job, mate. You've got to toughen up for games like this. You can't shy away from anything.' Loading Len Ikitau on what position Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii should play: 'To be honest, if he's on the field, that's the best thing for us. Just somewhere on the field, and if he's playing 13, if he's playing on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete, and he can step up to the occasion, and just play his footy. At the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer, so I don't think it'll faze him.' Team of the Week Wallabies. Play the British and Irish Lions at the MCG tonight, after a creditable if losing performance in the First Test, last week in Brissie. Jess Hull. The Australian flyer broke her own women's mile record, registering 4:13.68 to finish a couple of seconds behind Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay. England and Spain. Contest the final of the UEFA European Women's Championship. Scottie Scheffler. Now the undisputed biggest name in golf right now, because he keeps winning, including the British Open last weekend. The LIV sell-outs, meantime, ever more irrelevant. Have only won two majors between them, since LIV started. Felix Baumgartner. Extreme sports pioneer died as he lived in a paragliding accident, in Italy this week. You might remember as the bloke who more or less parachuted from space, back in 2012, jumping from 40 km up in the stratosphere. It still mesmerises. Cameron Smith. The only professional golfer to have been in all four majors this year, but failed to make the cut at all four. LIV appears to have destroyed – you heard me – his game, at least in the majors. But look, he's got squillions, so I guess that's the main thing. 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7NEWS
12 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Payne Haas limps off as Broncos stun Eels in massive NRL boilover
Parramatta have put a spear in Brisbane's top-four hopes in a stunning 22-20 win inspired by skipper Mitchell Moses. To make matters worse for the Broncos their star prop Payne Haas was seen limping badly at the end of the match at Suncorp Stadium. Moses was on fire in his return from injury with winger Zac Lomax his powerhouse self with two cracking tries. The clash had a drama-charged finish when Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh was off-side when collecting a Gehamat Shibasaki grubber with 48 seconds left on the clock. Parramatta fullback Joash Papalii was a sensation at No.1 and was a relieved man when Walsh was denied after he knocked-on for his opposite number to swoop. The Broncos, at full strength and on the back of five wins in a row, were error-riddled in the second half with Walsh the worst offender in a rocks and diamonds display. The home side led 14-12 at halftime against an Eels side that were more than up for the fight. Both halfbacks, at the elite end of the spectrum most weeks, were highly influential. Moses, back from a calf injury sustained in NSW camp in the lead-up to game two of the State of Origin series, was superb with his long and short kicking game to set up two tries. Broncos counterpart Reynolds was also on song with a runaway intercept try and crafty inside pass for Kobe Hetherington to race away. Moses was at it again after the break with a lovely out ball to Will Penisini to send Lomax over for his second after a loose pass by Walsh gifted possession. Walsh took several poor options in attack before on the last tackle he put on a superb step on the 40m line and found bench specialist Billy Walters in support to give Brisbane a 20-18 lead. Addo-Carr would not be denied and streaked over for his 150th career try to grab the lead The hosts left Haas on the bench for 30 minutes in the middle of the match as he battled a lingering lower back complaint, but he came back on for the final stint before suffering another possible injury. The first half was full of quality and competitive footy. Brisbane forward Xavier Willison was put on report for a cannonball tackle on Eels prop Junior Paulo early and the visitors got into a grind with determination. Walsh made the cardinal error of letting a Moses mid-field bomb bounce. Parramatta centre Sean Russell gathered, chipped over Walsh's head and scored a cracker. Reynolds then swooped on a Dean Hawkins pass to race 75m to score. The captain orchestrated the next try for Hetherington but the visitors were plucky. The quality of the Eels attack has improved markedly over the season and Moses, with a set play, lobbed a perfect kick for aerial specialist Lomax to dive, catch and score.
