Four of the Club's brightest young stars were put to the test and given a crash course on the life of a Rugby League star at the recent NRL Rookie Camp.
Over a weekend in Sydney's west, a collective group of over 80 young players across all 17 NRL clubs were on hand for a two-day camp, including Roosters rookies Xavier Va'a, Robert Toia, Tyler Moriarty and Ethan King.
Joining them was Career & Education Manager Sheridan Hawkins, who along with a number of former players and speakers took the young men through a number of courses and seminars to prepare them for life as an NRL player.
The intense two-day camp - the first face-to-face in over three years - featured topics ranging from Cultural Empowerment, Respectful Relationships through to Financial Literacy and Integrity.
"The NRL is doing an incredible job and it was great to have it back face to face after having been online for two years," Sheridan said.
"It was exciting to see all the boys arrive and the community come together, reconvene with people who they had played with throughout the pathways and see the competition as well.
"The course delved into some very important topics including mental health resilience as well as how to deal with off-field scenarios. All the players got access to financial literacy, counselling and planning through the program as well.
"The message was 'congratulations, welcome to the NR,L but you are now going to have to sacrifice a whole lot because there are hundreds of thousands of others waiting at the door'".
With plenty of information to soak in, the first in-person NRL Rookie Camp since 2019 was quite the success, according to Sheridan.
"It was very in-depth and there were a lot of practical examples used throughout to ensure that the messaging was clear and understood," she said.
"Jamie Buhrer spoke very well about the Rugby League Players' Association and the support they provide, where their money goes and what they are able to access.
"There was a social media workshop where the players were encouraged to assess their personal accounts, while the representatives from Sport Integrity Australia were quite dynamic and hands-on with a number of case studies.
"Media training was about authenticity and encouraged the boys to tell their personal stories, and our very own Corban Baxter was there as well, acting as a stand-in journalist and doing mock interviews.
"Then there was an amazing cultural immersion where they came together and danced with one another. It didn't matter what cultural background they came from, they brought everything and the energy in the room was incredible."
It was very in-depth and there were a lot of practical examples used throughout to ensure that the messaging was clear and understood.
Sheridan Hawkins Career & Education Manager
After witnessing plenty of growth from the young quartet, Hawkins believes they have come back with a better understanding of what the next chapter in their careers has in store for them.
"Our boys interacted and listened very well," she explained.
"They were sponges throughout the entire weekend and were learning quite a lot. I think they came away with a sense of what it will take to be in the NRL and what that means in terms of expectations, behaviour, character and commitment.
"They very much grew in their understanding of the opportunities and support they have from the Club, the NRL and the RLPA.
"The generation coming through are listening to the messaging and are learning."
