Sam Thaiday - Rise: The Sam Thaiday Story

SAM THAIDAY IS ONE OF RUGBY LEAGUES GREATEST CHARACTERS. HE MAY BE A LARRIKIN, BUT HE HAS ALWAYS RISEN TO THE OCCASION, NO MATTER THE CHALLENGE.

For sixteen years, Sam Thaiday has entertained Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian fans both on and off the field. This book tells his story.

With his trademark humour and honesty, Sam reveals his roots as a Townsville boy and a die-hard Cowboys fan, his family connections to the Torres Strait, how it was his mum who taught him to pass and tackle, and all the ups and downs of the game he loves.

Including advice for setting and reaching goals, handling setbacks and finding the things that matter to you in life, Rise: The Sam Thaiday Story is a must-read for any young league fan, regardless of who they barrack for!

This is a true story.

Mostly.

Except for the parts I made up.

I wish as a kid that I read more books so now you have the perfect opportunity to start with Rise .

Education is the key to doing whatever you want to do in your life it has taken me many many years to figure this out, so why not learn from other people.

I really hope that you enjoy this book as much as Ive enjoyed the journey of creating the moments and memories within it, as well as sitting down with James and writing something that will last forever Something I know my kids will read one day. Hopefully the words and stories in this book can help you aspire to fulfil and chase your own dreams. Essentially this book is about a young kid who had a dream, who had a goal, a want to play the sport he loved professionally for a living as a full time job and I was one of those lucky kids. Through hard work, dedication and learning the tools of the trade, I was able to be very successful within my chosen career. And my journey is not over yet. Even though I no longer play professional rugby league, I now have the chance and opportunity to chase a new dream, set some new goals and hopefully be as successful in my life outside rugby league as I was in it.

Enjoy the book and tell your friends about it!

Peace

Sam

Australia knows me as a proud Queenslander but I am ashamed to admit I was actually born in Sydney. It was my parents fault. They were both serving in the Royal Australian Air Force and were living in Wagga Wagga when I came into the world. Theyd come a long way to end up there, too.

Dad was born on Yam Island, in the Torres Strait, and was working on Thursday Island when the RAAF came knocking. They wanted young men and women from the Torres Strait Islands to travel south to mainland Australia and serve. To Dad, this sounded like a chance to travel and experience new things. He signed up.

Mum was living on a farm out in Western Australia. I doubt shed ever have heard of Wagga Wagga, let alone the Torres Strait. She was, and still is, as tough as they come. The Air Force sounded exciting to her as well, for all the same reasons as Dad. She signed up, too.

Mum saw Dad and thought he didnt look too shabby in a uniform, and they have been together ever since.

A few years after I was born, the Air Force told us it was time to move to Queensland. My parents, one of my older brothers and I poured into our station wagon and we kicked off the longest drive of my life. It was long, it was hot and it was so boring. But then we arrived. Townsville.

The neighbourhood had a football field, a soccer field and an athletics track, so we always had something to do. And our home was a hub of activity with friends coming and going at all hours.

Dad taught me that on the Torres Strait Islands you didnt think of kids as your own or someone elses. They were members of the community and it was up to the community to raise them together. To me, thats a beautiful way of looking at things. You get to meet people from entirely different walks of life and learn to see the good in everyone and even see a little bit of bad sometimes and decide not to be like that.

Our family was big, too. Mum and Dad had three children by birth and two more by traditional adoption. The oldest was Maza, who had come to the family when he was eight years old, but was old enough to stay in New South Wales by the time the rest of the family moved away. Next was Reuben, my mothers first born, and then me. My little brother Eli would be on his way in a few years and hed be followed by Auda, who joined the family when Dad brought him back from the Torres Strait Islands.

For a little while, though, it was just Reuben and I causing mischief.

We were both really into sport and the walls of the house showed it they were no match for a cricket ball hit with force. To this day, those walls bear the marks of a thousand hook shots from cricket, foul balls from baseball and even the occasional soccer-style penalty kick that curled perfectly into the top left corner of a closed window.

The routine was always the same. Wed hear the crash and wed scatter and hide.

If Mum and Dad were home, wed get told off right away. If they were out, wed have to sit around in silence, knowing as soon as they returned wed be in big trouble.

I was the younger brother, so Reuben always got to decide which sport wed play, and he would get first pick of position, which wasnt fair at all! He loved soccer, which meant that I would be forced to be the goalkeeper. Id be the pitcher in baseball and the bowler in cricket. Id never get to bat or take a penalty kick myself. I didnt like that much and the game would only ever last as long as I could hold my temper. Soon, the ball would be kicked away or thrown over a fence and the game would be over.

Looking back now, I think I just needed to get moving and use up my energy. I didnt know how to do that yet. It seemed our poor house ended up taking most of the damage as I worked it out. It wasnt a good solution and looking back, it was clear I needed to make a change. One day, I should probably go back home and fix all the holes I made over the years.

Approaching life with so much energy meant I gave my parents a fair share of scares, too. My mum still likes to recount how I had to get stitches four years in a row! That wasnt even from football, just from being clumsy! Honestly, its a wonder I ever made it onto a football field. My poor mum probably spent more time in the Emergency Room than most doctors.

Still, it quickly became clear to my parents that Id need a bigger outlet for all my energy and angst than games in the backyard.

Reuben had already been involved in Little Athletics down in New South Wales, so when we found a club around the corner in Townsville, I was sent along, too. Mum loved working with the Little Athletics club. Shed help organise and run the events while her boys competed. Despite the workload, shed always catch our events. She tells a story about how she was once caught at the far end of an oval, only to look over and see me in the distance at the front of a race. Even then she didnt miss it. I like that story. I dont have many stories where Im winning a race. You have to enjoy every one.