Cronulla’s champion fullback, Jada Taylor, has been announced as a 2026 Veronica White Medal Finalist.
The proud Gamilaroi woman is the first full-time Deadly Choices Programs Officer at the Sharks and in the NRL, and also the club’s Indigenous Programs Coordinator.
Community work isn’t about a good PR shot for Taylor; she has a genuine passion for it.
Cronulla’s Head of Community & Government Relations Vinh Tran said: “Outside of Jada’s full-time job as the Sharks Deadly Choices Programs Officer, she’s also the first person to put her hand up to help with our other community programs.”
“She’s also helping with coaching clinics, junior club events, female participation, or spending time with sick fans who have visited the club.”
The 23-year-old runs Deadly Choices programs that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to make healthy lifestyle choices, and over the last three years has helped engage more than 600 participants through school programs, while helping drive more than 150 people in for a 715 Health Check in 2025.
Jada helped deliver the Deadly Choices Healthy Lifestyle program to 104 students last year alone.
A total of 2,099 Health Check shirts and 1,335 education shirts with Sharks branding were handed out to the Indigenous community in 2025, and that’s not including all the incredible work she’s done this year.
The Tamworth junior product recalled, “I think I was born passionate about community and that stems from my parents and my family taking me to local rugby league games as a young kid.”
“I’m passionate about talking about the health inequalities our Indigenous people face and ways in which we can improve that, and that starts with our youth.”
She has also played a key role in growing the Sharks’ First Nations Community Day, which she helped start in 2024. Since then, it has connected more than 600 local First Nations community members with rugby league, health services and Indigenous health providers.
“We know that a lot of our Indigenous people don’t go and get their health checks at a health service because there can be that distrust, but when you invite people to come watch the Sharks captain’s run, then everyone turns up, so that’s just one way we’re trying to close the gap to access,” Taylor said.
Her commitment to creating opportunities for people with disability shines through her work with SCORE Sharks, Mega Jaws and Mega Waves, while she also proudly champions the One Heart anti-racism initiative and Goanna Academy’s Stick With It campaign.
Through school visits, community events, and countless hours spent supporting others, Jada continues to use her platform to inspire, empower, and build stronger, more inclusive communities.
A panel will decide the winner of the Veronica White Medal, announced on September 30 during the Dally M Awards.
