Ruan Sims typifies what the Jillaroos spirit is about both on and off the field.
Her bruising, uncompromising style on the pitch has made her the the benchmark player of the Women’s game in Australia.
However, it is the dedication she has shown off it to her craft that really makes her a genuine star of our game.
A firefighter by trade, Sims is yet to be afforded the same life as her brothers Tariq, Corbin and Ashton, who themselves are all professional footballers both in the NRL and the Super League.
Ruan though has executed a good balance of work, training and playing football to take her to being a mainstay and of all things, the captain of the Jillaroos side.
As a result of this, Sims was given the honour of being the first female signed to an NRL Club; the Cronulla Sharks.
And with Sims set to go for the World Cup here in Australia, she hopes the tournament will encourage other NRL Club’s to follow the Sharks’ lead and sign more female players in the future.
“We’d love to see some other NRL Clubs put their hand up and create a women’s program and start putting them into the NSW and QRL competitions and really driving women’s rugby league in this national space,” Sims told The Daily Telegraph.
With the best talent in Women’s World Rugby League coming to Southern Cross Group Stadium and this winning mindset from Sims on show, the tournament is set to be something special.
