The importance of Wellbeing in Rugby League x The inaugural NZRL Wellbeing hui

By Destiny and Penina Momoiseā

In the NRL, every club has at least one Welfare and Education Manager who looks after the wellbeing of the players in their charge and in New Zealand, the NRL funds not only the One NZ Warriors wellbeing officers at a club level but also the New Zealand Rugby League wellbeing team at a national level (Elite Pathways).

Suicides of young men in the rugby league community have underlined the urgency to normalise conversations around mental health and the NRL have recognised that it can be a challenging experience to leave home at a young age, or simply to face the responsibilities of playing the sport they love at a high level.

After first being led by former NRL star Nigel Vagana who was the GM of Wellbeing and Community for the NZRL, Carmen Taplin took over in 2019.  

Carmen who is of Maori heritage had, had extensive and first hand experience caring for Rugby League players from her time as a Team Manager for the NZ Kiwis squad from 2010 - 2014 to being house parents with her husband Spencer for both the Sydney Roosters in 2013 and the NZ Warriors from 2015 until she transitioned to the Warriors wellbeing team in 2018. 

During her time in Sydney with the Roosters it heightened her awareness regarding the absolute need for wellbeing especially for Pasifika and Maori athletes in the NRL.

She realised that due to the NRL ony funding the NZRL for the Elite Pathways there was a lack of support provided to clubs and zones at a community level and that there was an immense need for the same care and assistance.  

When she moved over from the Warriors to the NZRL as the Wellbeing Manager there, she created the Wellbeing Waka which is a framework that allows the NZRL to engage in the communities in partnership with Le Va as well as deliver messages to their key stakeholders regarding Mental Wealth and ultimately try to reduce the stigma attached to Mental Health in the sport.

“I’m sure it’s in every sport, but with our sport, it’s supposed to be a hard, tough game, and our men aren’t very good at being vulnerable,” Carmen says.

“We wanted to try and start breaking down some barriers there. The biggest thing for us was to get our people comfortable talking about it.”

Carmen brought on former rugby league legend Ali Lauitiiti who had played in both the NRL and Super League with a career spanning 19 years and had a real desire to give back to the Rugby League communities "to look after the person first in sports and in life" 

Cliff Thompson who had spent many years in the Department of Corrections and is both the Franklin Bulls & One NZ Warriors chaplain, as well as being the Lead Pastor at The Render Gathering, supported Carmen and Ali from a chaplaincy perspective and became a huge driving force in everything Carmen and Ali did.  

Eventually Carmen moved over to the Gold Coast where she is currently based and continues her work with the NZRL in a part time capacity looking after the Kiwi Ferns.  She is also in the wellbeing space at club level, currently employed by the Gold Coast Titans as the NRLW Wellbeing and Logistics Manager supporting their female programmes and is a member of the NRL Pasifika Wellbeing Advisory Group.

When Carmen and her husband Spencer moved during Covid, Cliff took over the practical delivery of the Wellbeing Waka workshops.  Former NRL player Jerry Seuseu moved into Carmen's NZRL wellbeing role while the Warriors were based overseas, before heading back to the Warriors when the team returned to their home base at Mt Smart.

From this point, Cliff was a perfect fit to take over the reins from Jerry with Ali still onboard and Carmen supporting from afar.  

"We have the same love and passion for our rugby league communities and were rewarded with the most amazing friendships and strong relationships built on trust and aroha."  said Carmen.

Since taking over as the Wellbeing Manager for the NZRL, Cliff and Ali have rolled out the 'Finding Your Front' podcast which takes a deep dive into wellbeing conversations with past and present players discussing success, challenges and tools used to combat life and career pressures.

Check out their most recent chat with NZRL and Sydney Roosters Centre Joey Manu below and catch up on the full season on the NZRL youtube page.

And it's not just in Rugby League that athletes Wellness and Mental Health is of utmost importance - earlier this year, High Performance Sport New Zealand released a recent summary of athletes' mental health in Aotearoa.

A whopping 21% of New Zealand elite athletes were found to be experiencing depressive symptoms, with more than half of them experiencing a severe level of symptoms rather than a moderate level, an increase since the last study back in 2015.

Furthermore, it is our younger athletes under the age of 25 who have been found to have higher numbers of depressive symptoms overall.  The rates of our athletes that are struggling aren’t getting any lower and the athletes suffering the most are getting younger. 

On the 26th of June 2023, Cliff, Ali and Carmen came together again to put on the inaugural NZRL hui after identifying the need for support and connection between not only wellbeing and support staff with athletes and the community but support and training for those in wellbeing roles from volunteers in the community to those working with high performance athletes.

Volunteers, Coaches, sports psychologists, athletes, and administrators flew in from across the motu to attend. The 3 day event saw the Wellbeing team and guest speakers come together to be re-inspired and share their journey thus far as well as ensuring that everyone who attended, received wrap-around support because when you’re dealing with mental health and well-being, it can be quite taxing.

"Wellbeing exists and functions because people care enough about their fellow human being, and that's a beautiful thing, but the reality is, you can't give what you don't have, and if you pour out of an empty vessel, wellbeing is compromised on all levels and for many people." Cliff explained 

Carmen was one of the first speakers and shared her own journey as well as personal tips on what had worked for her while her and her husband Spencer were house parents to a number of Maori, Pasifika and Indigenous players, some who are current household names in the NRL today like Latrell Mitchell, Joey Manu, Siosiua Taukeiaho, Payne Haas, Jazz Tevaga and more.   

She also talked about how her own move to Australia was tough, and that even with her husband and children close, the move from home to a new place was a struggle even for her.  So imagine how hard it must be for young athletes moving away from home to a strange place with no friends or family ... and then have to perform at an elite level in their sport: the pressure would be unimaginable. 

Carmen was inspired to ensure that these players who had made that big move had the right support around them during these tough transitions. 

“It all comes down to caring” she stated in her presentation. “And ensuring that when you say you’re going to be there (for a player) that you follow through and build that trust and are there for them”

Fellow guest speaker Dr Toni Minniti  (Wellbeing and Engagement lead at High Performance Sports NZ) echoed Carmen’s sentiment about consistency and shared that HPSNZ are also committed to supporting athletes across Aotearoa. 

Among the star studded list of speakers was International Weightlifter Meghan Signal who had been through a number of struggles and challenges both personally and professionally throughout her professional career.  She shared that as a professional athlete it was important to her in her darkest times after she injured herself right before the Tokyo Olympics, that there were people close to her who allowed her the space to feel how she felt in any given moment.

She highlighted the importance of creating a safe space for athletes to just be. 

Over the course of the 3 day hui many shared their stories and their “Why’s” 

Wellbeing team member and Rugby League Legend Ali Lauitiiti shared “I was once that kid, so that’s the main reason why I do this because I know what these kids go through.”

The star second rower stated that he’s inspired to give our young athletes support not just when they hit NRL, but well before “So by the time they reach the professional realm, they’re in a better place to navigate through it” he added 

For this team of unsung heroes who are dedicated to seeing our athletes are treated as humans and not just a money making commodity, this is just the beginning, and the dream of creating a more sustainable ‘well’ industry for our athletes is looking up!

"We've had great speakers, guests, sessions to teach, inspire and encourage us forward in our work, but the greatest achievement over the past few days, has been the connection, the support and the depth of relationship nurtured between those who care for their Rugby League communities around our beautiful country.

Just like putting on a playing Jersey, we are only stewards of the role while we are in it, and it's our duty to honor that, always seeking outcomes over accolades." Cliff reiterated 

The team offer support all across Aotearoa so if you would like to book a session for your club or school, you can get in touch by emailing wellbeing@nzrl.co.nz 

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Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ on Air