Beyond the Field

Xavier Coates is a professional rugby league player — and a great friend I’ve been lucky to get to know over the past year. At just 20 years old, he reached one of the highest levels in the game: State of Origin. A proud Papua New Guinean and Australian, Xavier credits his success to his parents, his upbringing, and the fierce backyard battles with his siblings that shaped his competitive edge. In...

Rhyse Martin is a current professional rugby league player with the Leeds Rhinos and a proud PNG Kumuls representative, having debuted for the national team in 2014. In this episode, we talk about the highs and lows of life in professional footy — from his humble upbringing in Australia to the pride of wearing both the NRL and Kumuls jersey. Rhyse opens up about what he wishes he did differently a...

Elsie Albert is a trailblazer in rugby league. She is the first homegrown Papua New Guinean woman to sign with the St George Dragons and a proud representative of the PNG Orchids. In this episode, she shares her inspiring journey from growing up in a Christian household, training in the hallway of her dorm just to get better, to overcoming the challenges faced by women playing rugby league in PNG....

Will Genia played 110 Tests for the Wallabies and had an incredible professional rugby career across Australia, France, and Japan. But his journey started in Papua New Guinea — and at just 12 years old, he left home to attend boarding school in Brisbane. In this episode, Will shares the challenges of moving countries at a young age, what helped him rise to the top and stay there for over a decade,...

Adam Walsh is a former SAS soldier and now the Welfare Officer at the Brisbane Broncos. In his words, “I’ve worked with elite soldiers and elite athletes — both wear masks. It’s my job to tear those masks off.” This episode dives deep into the powerful lessons Adam learned in the military, including why doing the “one percenters” is what separates the good from the great. We also talk openly about...

This conversation was recorded a few years ago, but I’ve updated the description because Alex Johnston is now just six tries away from breaking the all-time NRL try-scoring record — an incredible milestone. Alex has already scored 130 tries in just 160 games, won a premiership in his rookie year, and represented both Australia and Papua New Guinea at international level. His strike rate is rare —...

Paul Aiton played 253 professional rugby league games across the NRL and Super League, and proudly represented Papua New Guinea 16 times with the Kumuls — a childhood dream come true. We first met in 2008 playing together in the Rugby League World Cup, and he's been a great mate ever since. In this episode, Paul reflects on his journey from Mount Hagen to playing professional rugby league in Austr...

Justin Olam is a premiership-winning NRL star and proud Papua New Guinean. He shares how growing up in Simbu Province shaped who he is today — from chopping firewood and carrying water, to lifting the NRL trophy in 2020. Justin opens up about: What it felt like to win the NRL Grand Final (“It didn’t feel real”) The pride of wearing the PNG Kumuls jersey How his mum kept him focused on school and r...