With the celebrity status that today’s sportsmen and women enjoy, they have become the focus of increased media attention. Both on and off the field they are constantly under scrutiny and it is important that they are equipped to deal with this sometimes sudden status.

A man who has achieved at the highest levels in Rugby League for club, State and Country and who always presents himself impeccably is Origin legend Steve Renouf. In July this year and in conjunction with Queensland Rail, Keebra Park was lucky enough to host Steve as he spoke to out footballers about  the demands and expectations that go along with belonging to an elite programme.

Steve told the boys that when he first joined the Brisbane Broncos, Wayne Bennet had told him that from now on he was representing the team whenever he was in public and not only when he was playing, and this was something he had worked on maintaining. He spoke of how being identifiable as a member of any team, whether it be The Broncos or Keebra Park, meant that the public form opinions about you and it was easy for those opinions to be negative. He also spoke of how bad behaviour in public is not a cultural thing it is a personal choice and that we as people are responsible for those choices.

Steve was well received and fielded questions from the boys on how to make sure that they presented a positive image of themselves and their school and also a few questions regarding his long career. After the session Steve took the squad down to the oval and imparted a few of the secrets that earned him his “Black Pearl” nickname.