Eight rookie Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldog players have attended the 2020 NRL Rookie Camp that was held in Western Sydney last weekend.
Jackson Topine, Aaron Schoupp, Kurt Picken, Matt Doorey, Tyrone Harding, Isaiah Tass, Jake Averillo and Sebastian Winters-Chang joined a host of emerging first graders for the two-day event.
The camp, designed for players on their first NRL contracts or train-and-trial deals, was a two-day crash course in social responsibility and managing the pressures faced by elite athletes.
Current and former players, alongside industry experts, covered social responsibility topics such as Cultural Awareness, Personal Finances, the Media, Social Media and Reputation Management, Career Engagement, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Respectful Relationships and Personal Brand.
Each session was co-facilitated by a current or former player so they could share their experiences and model the behaviour and character that is expected of a modern day rugby league player.
The rookies also engaged in a theatre sports session hosted by league legend Ian Roberts where they acted out potential situations.
Under a new rule, players aged 20 or younger who are training full-time with an NRL squad must engage in work or study for one day (eight hours) per week to be eligible for first-grade selection.
