Latest news with #JohnStrange
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Sarah Togatuki: State of Origin star who was already reeling from her brother's suicide stuns teammates with incredible act just days after her sister died
They may have lost the match, but New South Wales star Sarah Togatuki showed incredible bravery just to play in Thursday night's Origin clash in Newcastle. The Blues forward showed unbelievable to take the field just days after the sudden death of her sister Jean, which followed the tragic death of her brother Junior, who took his own life in February. Jean passed away on Saturday following a brief hospital stay, leaving the Togatuki family devastated. Despite her grief, Sarah played in Thursday night's match against Queensland, contributing 42 metres in a 14-minute stint before a head knock forced her off the field. At fulltime, she was visibly emotional, surrounded by loved ones who had come to support her in Newcastle. The Blues team wore black armbands in Jean's memory, standing in solidarity with their grieving teammate. Coach John Strange praised Togatuki's courage, expressing doubt that any other player could have matched her strength in such circumstances. 'I don't know if I could have done that [after] losing a sister on Saturday,' he said after the game. 'I had a chat to her about spending time with her family, but it was also really important to her and her family that she came out and represented them. 'So to show the strength of character to do that, is a real testament to who she is as a person and the love she has for her family and the game that she plays. 'She's certainly not underestimated by any of us for what she does. Outstanding player and even better person.' Captain Isabelle Kelly, a longtime NRLW teammate, said the squad had supported Togatuki through the tragedy. 'When you know Sala, she's an infectious type of person. She wasn't in camp with us for a bit and we missed her, we missed her presence,' Kelly said. 'She puts everyone before herself and she's just really inspiring. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarah Togatuki (@salatogatuki) Sarah let all the emotion flow out at fulltime after climbing into the stands to be with her family The extended family all travelled to Newcastle to support Sarah with a sign saying that Jean was her #1 supporter 'A lot of us were saying we wouldn't have been able to do what she has done this week. 'She was a huge inspiration for us leading into this game and I know she would have done her family so proud, even though she came off, she's done all of us proud with the strength that she has. 'I feel really honoured and lucky to be able to pull on a jersey alongside her.' Jean has been honoured with an outpouring of tributes on social media, including from her daughter. 'I never thought I had to say this speech so young but I promise to fulfill the dream you and I shared I promise to do you proud I will live in your name loud and proud,' she wrote. 'The stadiums have been quiet without and also the house hold , you've made a massive impact on many lives and I am glad to be named your daughter mum I love you deeper than the sea could ever get.' Sarah herself posted a lengthy tribute to her 'best friend' and also revealed it came after the loss of her brother. 'In the blink of an eye, our family's world changed. My beautiful big sister gained her wings and has gone to be with our brother JNR,' she posted. The tributes flowed on social media including a heartbreaking post from Jean's daughter 'It still doesn't feel real. She was only admitted to hospital two weeks ago, and now she's gone. The pain is overwhelming, especially for her four beautiful babies. 'She wasn't just my sister. She was my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, and the quiet glue that held our family together. 'After losing our brother, she vowed to protect us all, and she truly lived that promise. She always showed up. Always put others before herself. Always stood on loyalty and love. 'I'm numb. Still struggling to find the words. My sister carried a light that touched so many. She had a way of making everyone feel seen, heard, and loved. If she loved you, you felt it deeply. 'She was a mother figure to many and a steady anchor in every phase of life she walked through.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘A huge inspiration': Brave NSW forward plays days after tragically losing her sister
Sarah Togatuki wore the pride of her family on Thursday night, taking the State of Origin field in Newcastle less than a week after the tragic death of her older sister, Jean. The inspirational NSW forward has been privately dealing with the sudden death of her sister, who was admitted to hospital before NSW claimed the series in Origin II in Sydney a fortnight ago, before passing away suddenly on Saturday. In a show of her immense strength and love for her family, Togatuki came off the bench for the Blues in Thursday night's 18-14 loss to Queensland at McDonald Jones Stadium. One of the most popular players in the NRLW, the 27-year-old Tigers star was supported by her Blues teammates and coach John Strange. 'I don't know if I could have done that (after) losing a sister on Saturday,' he said after the game. 'I had a chat to her about spending time with her family, but it was also really important to her and her family that she came out and represented them. 'So to show the strength of character to do that, is a real testament to who she is as a person and the love she has for her family and the game that she plays. 'She's certainly not underestimated by any of us for what she does. Outstanding player and even better person.' Skipper Isabelle Kelly, who has played alongside Togatuki in the NRLW for years, said the team rallied around her over the past few weeks. 'When you know Sala, she's an infectious type of person. She wasn't in camp with us for a bit and we missed her, we missed her presence,' Kelly said. 'She puts everyone before herself and she's just really inspiring. 'A lot of us were saying we wouldn't have been able to do what she has done this week. 'She was a huge inspiration for us leading into this game and I know she would have done her family so proud, even though she came off, she's done all of us proud with the strength that she has. 'I feel really honoured and lucky to be able to pull on a jersey alongside her.' Togatuki's night ended early after taking a head knock after just 13 minutes on the field. There were emotional scenes at full-time as she embraced her family. Jean was known to be the loudest and proudest supporter in the stands. 'In the blink of an eye, our family's world changed,' she wrote on Instagram. 'My beautiful big sister gained her wings and has gone to be with our brother JNR. 'It still doesn't feel real. She was only admitted to hospital two weeks ago, and now she's gone. The pain is overwhelming, especially for her four beautiful babies.' Meanwhile, Queensland skipper Ali Brigginshaw has defiantly declared she wants to keep playing representative football after enduring a horror few weeks of online abuse including death threats and calls for her to retire. Fresh off an 18-14 victory over NSW in Thursday night's State of Origin dead rubber in Newcastle, the Maroons captain said she will not pander to social media bullies and wants to keep playing as long as she's earning a jersey. 'I do want to keep playing on, I think people just look at your age and think that's enough, there was still comments out there tonight about when I'm going to retire and I still love my footy and if I get picked I get picked, but I'm not saying people should pick me just because I've been here before,' the 35-year-old said after putting Chelsea Lenarduzzi over from behind the ruck to score the matchwinning try in the dying minutes of game three. 'I want to prove I can play in this jersey. Hopefully I did that tonight. 'I'll do whatever it takes for this jersey. I'm really proud to represent Queensland and that's what hurts, surely people see how proud I am to do that. 'I do anything I'm asked, I play any position, I don't carry on. And to see how upset my family are to see the things said about it, that's what hurt the most.' Maroons coach Tahnee Norris backed her call, saying Brigginshaw has earned enough credit throughout her 17-year rugby league career, which started back in 2009. 'It's her decision, it's not mine. Ali is a true Origin player and a leader of this team, and I feel for her, she's had a tough couple of weeks, it's just wrong,' Norris said. 'I've got so much respect for her and what she brings to this team, what she's done for women's rugby league and how she's led this group of Maroons players, people don't understand, they don't see that. 'She plays herself into teams and we pick her, it's as simple as that, so it's up to her when she makes that call. 'Utmost respect for how she's handled herself the past few weeks, it's been really hard on her.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Kelly emotional after bizarre try fail
State of Origin: Blues coach John Strange and skipper Isabelle Kelly were disappointed after failing to sweep the Maroons in Newcastle.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Women's State of Origin 2025 Game 3: NSW Blues v Qld Maroons v
Update: Date: 2025-05-29T09:15:41.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Hello everyone and welcome to Origin III! I missed live blogging the last one with you all due to being at the game, live and in person, which was very exciting – fortunately I was safely undercover, unlike the players. It looks like things will be mostly dry in Newcastle tonight, which I'm sure will be a welcome change from the swimming pool the players waded through in Sydney two weeks ago. Now of course the elephant in the room is that this is a dead rubber – NSW took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after winning in Sydney, so it is only pride on the line for Queensland tonight, while NSW will be motivated by securing the whitewash (bluewash?) For the Blues, John Strange has made no changes going into the final game of the series, meaning the same 17 players will line up in all three games. Meanwhile, it's quite a different story for the Maroons, with injuries to star fullback Tamika Upton and lock Keilee Joseph. Despite the match being a dead rubber, there's hope the crowd will still turn up in numbers tonight. Game I of the series set a new crowd record, while over 16,000 braved the rain in Sydney. Newcastle represented hard last year in torrential rain, so let's see if they can do the same this year! Kick off is at 7.45pm AEST, which isn't too far away, so let's get into it and count down to this final match of the series!
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Blues desperate for Women's State of Origin series whitewash against Maroons
NSW coach John Strange has urged the Blues to avoid complacency as they head into the final Women's State of Origin match with the series already won. The Blues wrapped up a historic series victory with a convincing 26-6 defeat of Queensland in Origin II in Sydney a fortnight ago. It is the first time the Blues have won a multi-game Women's State of Origin series. They face the Maroons in the final match of the series in Newcastle on Thursday night. "We've spoken about [avoiding complacency] as soon as we got back into camp, it's about us and putting a really good performance out there on the field," Strange said. "If we don't do that, we'll be disappointed irrespective of the result." Strange said there were "little areas of improvement" the Blues needed to address if they wanted to record a series whitewash. "We want to be better every game we play," he said. "So there's not really any extra motivation or anything like that. We just want to keep improving and [the squad] have got that attitude." Blues assistant coach Ruan Sims said the Maroons would not be underestimated. "They're a very difficult opposition," she said. "They're incredibly talented players, and you just never know what they're going to throw at you. "So, you've always got to be at your absolute best to try and beat them." AAP/ABC
