Player Tazmin Gray

[mt.wellington]

Tazmin Gray

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Tazmin Gray (born 4 August 1995) is an Australian rugby league footballer who last played for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Burleigh Bears in the QRL Women's Premiership.

Primarily a second-rower, she has represented Australia and Queensland and won an NRL Women's Premiership with the Brisbane Broncos.

Born in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Gray played her junior rugby league for the Tugun Seahawks and Currumbin Eagles and attended Palm Beach Currumbin State High School.

Her brother, Jordan Rapana, is a professional rugby league player who has represented New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

In 2016, Gray began playing rugby league for the Burleigh Bears. In June 2016, she made her debut for Queensland in their 4–8 loss to New South Wales.

On 10 February 2017, she started at second-row for the Women's All Stars in their 4–14 loss to the Indigenous All Stars.

In June, she represented South East Queensland at the Women's National Championships. In July, she joined the Sydney Roosters NRL Women's Premiership team.

In Round 1 of the 2018 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Roosters in their 4–10 loss to the New Zealand Warriors. On 30 September, she started at second-row in the Roosters' Grand Final loss to the Brisbane Broncos, scoring a try.

On 13 October, she made her international debut for Australia, starting at second-row and scoring a try in a 26–24 win over New Zealand.

On 15 February, she represented the Māori All Stars in their 8–4 win over the Indigenous All Stars.

In May, Gray represented South East Queensland at the Women's National Championships. In July, she signed with the Brisbane Broncos NRLW team.

On 6 October, she started at second-row in the Broncos' 30–6 Grand Final win over the St George Illawarra Dragons. That day, Gray and her brother Jordan, became the first brother and sister to play on NRL Grand Final day when Rapana played for the Canberra Raiders in the 2019 NRL Grand Final.

On 18 September, Gray joined the New Zealand Warriors for the 2020 NRL Women's season. In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Warriors in a loss to the Broncos, becoming the first person to play for three NRLW teams.

On 13 November, Gray started at second-row for Queensland in their 24–18 State of Origin win over New South Wales.

On 20 February, Gray represented the Māori All Stars in their 24–0 win over the Indigenous All Stars.

During 2021, she signed with the Gold Coast Titans, one of three new NRLW franchises. In doing so she became the first player in the NRLW to play for four different clubs, and in four consecutive seasons.

On 1 June, Gray played in game 1 of the women's state of origin series in Queensland win 18–10, scoring a try, and again in the second and last game of the series in the QLD loss to NSW 18–14. She finished the series starting both games for Queensland and scored one try.

Gray returned to the Brisbane Broncos for her second stint and second year after three years away at two different clubs. She made her return match in round 1 of the NRLW season on 22 July in the Brisbane Broncos 36–18 loss against the Sydney Roosters. She finished her return year playing all ten games for the Broncos, including their elimination final loss against eventual premiers, Newcastle Knights. She scored four tries, her highest try scoring tally in any of her NRLW seasons.

Gray earned another call up for the Queensland, starting at backrow for the first two games in the first women's three-game series.

 

[mt.wellington]

Tazmin Gray set on making culture 'comfortable and safe' in Titans inaugural NRLW team​

Siren Sport / By Mary Konstantopoulos
Sun 28 Nov 2021Sunday 28 November 2021

Tazmin Gray wants to show younger women the way and lead from the front in the Titans' NRLW team. (Getty: Kelly Defina)

In recent weeks, the NRL has released the draw for the 2021 Women's Premiership set to be played in 2022.

After a series of postponements and cancellations, this finally gives certainty to the teams competing and allows the players and their support staff to begin preparation in earnest.

With three new teams introduced into the competition, part of that preparation must be around team culture and for the new teams in particular, they have a unique chance to establish the values and standards driving their respective playing groups.

For Gold Coast Titans recruit Tazmin Gray, this is an exciting opportunity, particularly given the welcome the club has given its inaugural team including access to staff, facilities and medical support.

"We haven't had much opportunity to come together as a team, but so far our interactions with the club have felt inclusive," Gray said.

"For us as female athletes, it doesn't feel like we have been put on the backburner; we feel like we are already part of the club."

The Titans have recruited strongly with a mix of upcoming talent and experienced campaigners, but it's clear that for new coach Jamie Feeney, performance on the field was only one element he was considering during the recruitment phase.

Georgia Hale is a Veronica White medallist and was the 2020 Young New Zealander of the year. Karina Brown has been part of the Australian Jillaroos set up since 2013 and has also been central in building two women's footy clubs in Queensland; the Burleigh Bears and Easts Tigers. These women are talented players, but also exceptional leaders in their own right.

For Gray, alongside women like Hale and Brown, she recognises their important role in establishing the culture in a new team, particularly with a coach like Feeney whose approach is to work side by side with his players.

"We have some great experience and some emerging talent, despite it being a new team that has come together," Gray said.

"For me, I want to lead from the front and show the younger women the way not just on the field but off it too because having great people is what breeds a great team.

"As a start, we have really focused on making sure it is a comfortable and safe place for people to be who they are.

"If you can't be yourself, or don't know who you are it is really hard to work out where you stand within a group."

Gray had a breakout 2021 season of football. Despite not having missed a game of State of Origin since the renamed series commenced in 2018, this year she was awarded with the Nellie Doherty Medal for best player on ground.

Whilst Gray has always been a gifted player, her experience with the New Zealand Warriors last year taught her the importance of culture; something she may not have recognised the importance of in the past.

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, only five of the Warriors squad made the decision to travel to Australia to compete in the NRLW in 2020. That meant that the majority of their squad had to be recruited very quickly, by their caretaker coach, Brad Donald. Donald was a positive choice given his experience coaching at a national level and his very real understanding of the challenges that women face as full time professional athletes.

Gray hopes to bring some of her knowledge from playing with the Warriors, to the Titans. (Getty: Mark Kolbe)

When the new-look Warriors came into camp, barely any of them knew each other – a challenge given they were expected to be ready to play footy together in less than a month.

"Despite having been in camps with so many of those women before, in the past I probably wouldn't have given them the time of day, but that all changed after I got to know them," Gray said.

"What surprised me is that I was also able to figure out who I was as a person and work out my identity.

"You don't play footy to work out who you are as a person, but that was a great outcome of my time with the Warriors."

Gray has Maori heritage. For the first time in her life, her time with the Warriors gave her permission to immerse herself in her own culture and additionally have the confidence to embrace it even though she does not live in New Zealand or have a deep understanding of the language.

"By learning to express myself through my culture, it also gave permission to other women in the team to be who they were.

"We were able to see people as individuals, as people and that helped us to gain trust and come together as a team."

Gray is hoping that she can bring some of these learnings to the Titans.

"You can be part of some of the greatest and most successful teams, and I certainly have been, but culture and togetherness is what makes it worthwhile.

"If I can take that and help implement it at the Titans, I know that every member of our team will have the chance to be the best they can be on and off the field."

'A comfortable and safe place': Tazmin Gray on building the Titans' NRLW team culture

A big part of developing a new team is building its culture, and Gold Coast Titans recruit Tazmin Gray believes a good one comes when every player can be themselves, both on and off the field.

www.abc.net.au

 

[mt.wellington]

When skies are Gray: Tazmin back on top of rugby league rollercoaster​

Kelsey Hogan
Wed 28 Jun 2023, 02:53 pm


Tazmin Gray knows her name momentarily dropped out of NRLW circles as she battled away with injury.

Yet beneath the headlines on rehab reports and family Instagram posts, the 27-year-old mother-of-two was facing a far more difficult challenge of identity and purpose, which almost lead to her hanging up the boots all together.

But after leading Queensland in the recent women's Origin win over the Blues, Gray is positive her player-of-the-series performance is just a taste of what's to come in 2023.

“Being a footy player, it's easy to show up and come and play a game that you love,” Gray told NRL.com as she celebrated in front of a record Townsville crowd.

"But at the same time when things aren't going right at home, you kind of lose yourself mentally in the game, you're there, but you're not really there.”

“And that was a lot of my year last year. So I wanted to make sure that coming into this year I made it about myself – about me growing me as a player.

“I've always looked to play for my kids and play for my family but I wanted to do something a little bit different and play for myself.

"That was why I wanted to play footy again.”

One of several stars of the women’s game to have taken time off for family reasons, the Tweed Heads product has played just 15 NRLW games since 2018, with form and injuries limiting her contributions in recent years.

Having fought her way back into contention for selection, Gray admitted she struggled under the pressures of balancing life as a mother and footballer.

“I don't think I did juggle it all. I always felt like I owed it to my kids to be the best player but I think I sold myself short and I definitely sold them short by putting that much pressure on myself,” she said.

As much as I loved the game, I wasn’t happy when I was playing footy. I was just playing footy to make them proud.
Maroons star Tazmin Gray

“And I think when you flip the script and you look at yourself in the mirror and you're not actually proud of the person that you are, it sits you back on your heels a little bit.

"I think that's what it did to me.

“I'm just super grateful that I had those learning lessons because I feel like a far better person.

I feel like a far better mother. I feel like a far better friend. But most importantly, I just feel like I'm myself again.
Tazmin Gray on her current form

"I'm happy being me and in my shoes and I think that’s helping me play better footy and play my footy.”

Standing on the stage of Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium with player of the match and player of the series medals hanging from her neck, a smiling Gray is confident she has found her feet in 2023.

Maroons coach Tahnee Norris said seeing Gray return to Origin with a new freedom and flair brought a proud and special feeling.

“Tazzy is a special one for me, I’ve coached her since she was about 17 years old and she’s had a lot of changes off the field in her own life and her own circumstances,” Norris said after the game. “For her to come out and play the way she’s played, is like a proud mum moment for me.

“She’s had some hard times in the last 12 months and to see her turn her life around and win the player of the match and player of the series makes me very proud.”

Gray's next stop on her rugby league rollercoaster will be Brisbane, where she returns to her former club after they offered her a lifeline for the NRLW in 2023.

“To be honest I wasn't really looking to move from the Gold Coast but an opportunity came up with the Broncos so I had to take it,” Gray said.

“It was also something that pushed me in a direction where I wanted my footy to go. They’ve pushed me out of my comfort zone. They've got me to a place where I’m playing uncomfortable and that's the type of footy that I want to play.

“I've always put myself in a box and tried to do everything for everybody else, but I just want to focus on myself and focus on what I'm good at and just play free footy.

"I guess for me it's about making sure my kids have a role model to look up to and someone that they can aspire to be like.

"I just want them know that if you put your best foot forward you can do anything you like. Mum may play footy but you can do anything that you want."

When skies are Gray: Tazmin back on top of rugby league rollercoaster

Maroons star Tazmin Gray opens up on her struggles, success, disappointments and delights as she prepares to return to the NRLW in 2023.

www.nrl.com