While Friday night marked another important match in the Telstra Premiership, today will serve as an opportunity for the NRL players to not only recover, but to celebrate the many father figures in and around ‘The Family Club’.
When Kurt Mann was weighing up his next move in the NRL, he did so with his two children at the forefront of his mind.
The Bulldogs lock travels from Wollongong to Belmore each day to fulfill training and playing commitments but it’s his off-field life that is most important as he celebrates Father’s Day.
Mann is one of the oldest members in the squad at 31, but is not alone in fatherhood with several doting dads at Belmore.
“My kids live in Wollongong so it’s a lot easier to see them when I moved to the Bulldogs,” Mann explained.
“I’ve got a four-year old son (Huxley) and a two-year old daughter (Sunday). My boy is a bit of a menace, so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree there!
“It’s nice to be able to spend as much time as I can with them and on a day like Father’s Day, you can reflect on how much the kids mean to you. It’s a special time. I’d do anything for them.”
For five-eighth Matt Burton, having son Noa in August last year has enabled him to find balance in his life, which has no doubt played a role in his scintillating form so far this season.
“It gives you a different outlook on life,” Burton said of fatherhood.
“If you have a bad day, he doesn’t know any different, so it makes going home and taking your mind off things a lot easier.
“He’s getting a personality now and smiling. We’ve got him a little walker and it won’t be long until he’s running around the field with me.
“He’s probably going to be a bit wild like myself and has already got a fair share of hair on him.”
Meanwhile, it’s also a special time for Bulldogs prop Max King, with he and wife Christy welcoming little Hercules earlier in the year.
The pair married in the off-season, before falling pregnant shortly after tying the knot.
“Being a dad is something I’ve always wanted to be,” King said.
“There’s plenty of boys here who have families and they’ve been a great help giving me some tips."
With Rugby League lineage through his great-grandfather, Cec, his grandfather, Johnny - a seven-time Premiership winner - and through his father, David, Max expressed his hopes for his little boy to follow in the family’s footsteps in football.
“The Bulldogs jersey will be out for him ready to go. He’ll know the trajectory he’ll be pushed towards,” he laughed.
For others in the squad, Father’s Day is also a time to thank their own parents and take time to reflect away from football.
Halfback Toby Sexton endured a difficult period last year when his father Tony almost lost his arm - and life - in a freak workplace accident.
Thankfully, Sexton senior has made a swift recovery and continues to support Toby in his own pursuits.
“He really is my hero,” Sexton said.
“Everything I do in footy is for him and my family. I try and get back to see them as much as I can. I will be thanking him for everything he’s done for me.”
Happy Father's Day from the Bulldogs
Fellow squad members Kurtis Morrin and Drew Hutchison have each welcomed new additions to their little families during the 2024 season, while others are expecting in the coming months. No doubt it signals the next breed of Bulldog is well and truly on their way.
Beyond the squad, the 'Family Club' is also celebrating the many fathers and father figures in our fan and Membership base and would like to extend our best wishes to those celebrating today.
