31 June, 2016. 11:35
CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | Contact
Blues coach Laurie Daley has today announced the newest inclusion to the NSW Origin management team.
Former Olympian Rower Sally Robbins, has been hired by the NSWRL to ‘help bring about a bit of ticker’ in the most unsuccessful Australian representative sports team of this millenium.
Daley says Robbins has proven experience in ‘having a bit of a go’ but believes her own hurdles are quite comparable to the Blues rugby league side.
Robbins (34), who represented Australia at the women’s four at the 2000 Olympics and the women’s eight at the 2004 Olympics, was involved in a notable incident at the Athen Games when she stopped rowing during the final part of the race, for which she was heavily criticised. After the conclusion of her rowing career, Robbins attempted to become a professional cyclist.
Coach Daley says her experiences in the professional arena will translate well to the squad, who have ‘all but given up on football, and their lives’.
“Sally will be good for these boys. She’s got a fair bit of ticker, she’s had a few knocks and has got back on the horse,”
“Sally nearly rowed for Australia in the Beijing Olympics (2008) as well… Unfortunately she just missed out on the qualifying time required,”
“The point is, she had another go. That’s the kind of stories that my boys need to hear about,”
“They have literally been lying down for ten years,”
There definitely is not an army of migrant kids in the suburbs who would give their eye teeth to row in the olympics and not only would row through the whole race but through all the preceding races as well and could be 100% relied on to keep rowing in future races. But would they fit in.