us, adding: “Whatever comes our way as
a team, I’m sure the Dragons will be able
to handle it; the training staff prepare us
the best they can, then the players will
put their best foot forward.”
Now technically in his fourth year as
a Dragon (he made a surprise mid-season
swap from the Knights in 2016), Tariq will
remain at the club until at least 2022.
But if he has anything to say about it,
he’ll remain a Dragon until his retirement,
whenever the time comes.
“I’d definitely love to finish my career in
the NRL as a Dragon, but I’d love to play
a few more years at the back end of this
contract,” he says. “I’m just very thankful
for the Dragons giving me an opportunity
to come down here. I’m so lucky that
a coach like ‘Mary’ [Paul McGregor] had
always wanted to coach me, since the
start of my NRL career. An opportunity
arose at the back end of 2016 and
I jumped at it. The rest is history.
“It’s been a roller-coaster ride since I’ve
been here, but it’s definitely been one
that I look back on and go, ‘Yeah, I made
the right decision there,’” he continues.
“I think we can really give this competition
a shake-up with the squad that we have.
I love local rivalries, I love going into hostile
environments. But a lot can happen – rugby
league, she’s a tricky old game, so I’m just
gonna go out there and do my best, and
hopefully improve on last year.”
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You’d be hard pushed to find a prouder
mum than Jacqueline ‘Jacky’ Sims
who, along with husband Peter, has
raised not one, but five professional
athletes. But with her own background
in sport, it came as no surprise that her
kids would follow in her footsteps.
“Oh gosh no,” she says with her
signature hearty laugh. “I actually
played WNBL back in the day. I played
basketball, netball, athletics, swimming,
surf swimming, rowing for the surfclub
- Gerringong Women, we won the
Australian title back in ’90-something.”
The third eldest of 11 kids, Sims knew
what it was like to go without growing
up and readily admits that informed
her tough but fair parenting style.
“We have a sports ethic in our family
where whatever the children were
registered to play, they had to see out
the whole season,” she explains. “As
a parent, I’m really proud. We have five
children who all play and I’ve only ever
wanted children with 10 fingers and 10
toes, just healthy – everything else is
a bonus. That sounds like a real cliché,
but that’s exactly it. I just want the boys
to go on being [role] models that other
children – girls and boys – can follow.”
Doing Mum
proud
Raising a family of sports
stars is all in the genes
for Jacky Sims
W
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The youngest of five pro
NRL players, Tariq (left)
and Korbin are forging
their own paths
Foxtel MAY 49