HoldenV8
Journey Man
Manly centre Brayden Wiliame on his horror start to NRL career — and how he turned it around
THIS is a feel-good story about a young footy player with remarkable persistence and determination. A player who was knocked down — but didn’t give up.
Manly centre Brayden Wiliame opened up about a horror start to his NRL career. How he kept at it, trained hard and never lost his smile.
Wiliame, 23, took a staggering four years to claim his first-ever win. He lost his first 13 NRL games.
He started at Parramatta in 2013 where he played — and lost — six successive NRL matches. Wiliame then joined Newcastle in 2014 but only played NSW Cup.
The centre joined Manly last year and, again, couldn’t win any of his six NRL games.
Then, finally, in round eight this year, in his second NRL game of the season, Wiliame broke through when Manly defeated Newcastle 26-10 at Hunter Stadium. Now, the victories are starting to flow.
Wiliame has been a regular in the Manly side in recent months as his side look for a fifth successive win when confronting Parramatta this Friday night at Pirtek Stadim.
And Wiliame’s patience has paid off, having just agreed to a new two-year contract extension at Brookvale.
“My first win (in NRL) came against Newcastle this season, the Anzac game. It was my second game in NRL this year. It was a big crowd so I was happy to get a win, against my (former) teammates as well.
“All the boys knew it was playing on my mind a bit. They were all happy for me when we beat Newcastle. My teammates supported me. It’s so much better winning than losing.
“It’s hard not to think about things when you get all that negativity, reading about it on social media. I had to get one win against Newcastle and then the rest of them (the losses) were all behind me.”
Wiliame hails from Woy Woy, the same Central Coast town as Manly legend Graham ‘Wombat’ Eadie.
“I’ve got a good support base at home with my family and partner. It’s been made easier because of them. I am glad I got through it early. It would have been tough if it kept going but I got through it and feel good about myself. Now we are four wins strong. Four-in-a-row. I’m enjoying my footy again.”
http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/se...d/news-story/7bf87bd4bd471dd9757475bfd3b8f326
THIS is a feel-good story about a young footy player with remarkable persistence and determination. A player who was knocked down — but didn’t give up.
Manly centre Brayden Wiliame opened up about a horror start to his NRL career. How he kept at it, trained hard and never lost his smile.
Wiliame, 23, took a staggering four years to claim his first-ever win. He lost his first 13 NRL games.
He started at Parramatta in 2013 where he played — and lost — six successive NRL matches. Wiliame then joined Newcastle in 2014 but only played NSW Cup.
The centre joined Manly last year and, again, couldn’t win any of his six NRL games.
Then, finally, in round eight this year, in his second NRL game of the season, Wiliame broke through when Manly defeated Newcastle 26-10 at Hunter Stadium. Now, the victories are starting to flow.
Wiliame has been a regular in the Manly side in recent months as his side look for a fifth successive win when confronting Parramatta this Friday night at Pirtek Stadim.
And Wiliame’s patience has paid off, having just agreed to a new two-year contract extension at Brookvale.
“My first win (in NRL) came against Newcastle this season, the Anzac game. It was my second game in NRL this year. It was a big crowd so I was happy to get a win, against my (former) teammates as well.
“All the boys knew it was playing on my mind a bit. They were all happy for me when we beat Newcastle. My teammates supported me. It’s so much better winning than losing.
“It’s hard not to think about things when you get all that negativity, reading about it on social media. I had to get one win against Newcastle and then the rest of them (the losses) were all behind me.”
Wiliame hails from Woy Woy, the same Central Coast town as Manly legend Graham ‘Wombat’ Eadie.
“I’ve got a good support base at home with my family and partner. It’s been made easier because of them. I am glad I got through it early. It would have been tough if it kept going but I got through it and feel good about myself. Now we are four wins strong. Four-in-a-row. I’m enjoying my footy again.”
http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/se...d/news-story/7bf87bd4bd471dd9757475bfd3b8f326