The Sharks aren’t just training hard on field; off it, they’re also preparing for the day they hang up the boots.
Billy Burns, Jayden Berrell, Michael Gabrael and Blake Hosking all recently completed a crane, dogging and rigging licence course.
Sharks’ hooker Berrell has a background as a carpenter but wanted to upskill.
“Basically, what we learnt to do is calculate the loads of things being lifted by the crane, hooking up the crane items, and talking with the crane driver and directing them to lift the load and where to drop them,” Berrell shared.
“Footy is such a small part of our life. If you can build your skills up now, especially for a few of the younger people and even the older people that are getting towards the end of their careers, then it gives you options later.”
27-year-old Billy Burns knows all too well the worry of not knowing what’s next.
“I went through a period where I didn’t have a contract, and I realised the importance of having something after footy,” Burns said.
“I definitely was a bit stressed then, but now that I’ve done a few courses and got a few tickets, if I ever have a career-ending injury or have to retire, then I have something there that I can go into straight away and earn some money and not put pressure on my family.”
Sharing the Load | Sharks take on Dogging Course
Cronulla Welfare & Education Manager Jeff Robson organised the course through ‘Licences 4 Work,’ a registered training organisation that has previously helped Sharks players with their Forklift licences.
“We really appreciate them going above and beyond to teach the boys,” Robson said.
“It’s really important for us to make sure our players are proactive and preparing for life after footy.”
Dependable backrower Burns echoed those sentiments.
“It’s a 5-day course usually done in one week, but they were able to spread that out over a couple of weeks, accommodating for our training,” he said.
“So it was good, and they were very helpful and gave us plenty of homework and stayed on top of it, so they were awesome.”
A big thanks to League Ahead as well for helping bring it all together.
