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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Max McKinney

'Just wanted a day off school': Knights prop's journey from a gala day to NRLW

Five years ago, Newcastle Knights forward Tayla Predebon had virtually no interest in rugby league.

She went to her two older brothers' games for hometown club Gloucester at times, but wasn't that keen.

She never played with the boys as a kid and didn't watch the NRL on TV.

So how did she go from that, to winning a remarkable four premierships - including a NRLW title with the Roosters last season - in such a short period of time?

"When I was about 16, there was a gala day and I pretty much just wanted a day off school," Predebon told the Newcastle Herald.

TRY TIME: Knights forward Tayla Predebon crosses for her first NRLW try in Newcastle's 32-14 win over Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Peter Lorimer

"I got all the girls together and we put a team in. We ended up going pretty well, I think we won. That's how I got into rugby league. I loved it from the very first time and it just went from there."

Predebon, who grew up on a farm 15 minutes outside Gloucester, went on to play a few games for Taree in a nine-a-side summer competition and was ultimately chosen to play a few more in some regional rep teams.

But her first foray into a more traditional 13-a-side, winter competition would come as part of the CRL Newcastle side in 2018.

Still at school in Gloucester, she would travel to Dudley twice a week for training and to Newcastle and Sydney for games on weekends.

"My friends would ask, 'why are you doing that?'. But I fell in love with it, I was committed," Predebon said.

Newcastle won the premiership the following year and Predebon hailed the influence of elder players like skipper Bec Young for showing her the way. At the same time, the NRLW was taking off and Predebon began to see how she could realise a childhood dream.

"The fact that the girls could play in the NRL was mind-blowing for me," she said.

"I always thought I was lucky just to play alongside Bec and those girls in the CRL.

"When I realised it was actually a [possibility], I was definitely interested.

"I've always wanted to play a professional sport, but I never really knew what it would be. I was a kid that always tried everything, but netball and little athletics were probably my more serious sports."

When the CRL was abandoned, Predebon decided to play for the Central Coast Roosters - still travelling from Gloucester - because Newcastle didn't initially have a side in the state competition.

She would win two titles with Central Coast before earning a call-up to join the Sydney Roosters in the NRLW earlier this year.

Predebon played every game last season as the Roosters marched to their first premiership.

It was a rewarding and eye-opening campaign.

"I really appreciated how far the game has come and the effort that needs to go into it to perform," she said.

"I had always played league for a bit of fun, I never really valued it as a career. We were part-time professional athletes and I really tried to dive into and embrace that."

Travelling to and from Sydney to play for the Roosters, Predebon was keen to head home this season.

Once the likes of Hannah Southwell and Olivia Higgins decided to depart the club for the Knights, it made her decision to do the same a little easier.

She is also in the third year of a physiotherapy degree at the University of Newcastle.

Proving just how different the lives of NRLW players are to their male counterparts, she juggles football with full-time study and running her own personal-training business - Pred'z Fitness.

The 21-year-old's commitments don't appear to impact her football with Predebon producing a standout performance in Newcastle's 32-14 win over Brisbane on Sunday.

Playing 28 minutes off the bench, she made 105 metres from nine runs and seven tackle-breaks. She also scored her first NRLW try.

Having won each of the past four grand finals she has played in, Predebon is hoping to make it five with the Knights this season.

"We've clicked from the very start and we'll keep building," she said.

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