East Coast Tiger
Coach
- Messages
- 14,139
A very long read but some nice comments, including about union being shit, in the Derry paper. The bit about RL being the most popular sport in Australia is a nice f**k you to the Victorians too from their Irish mates.
https://www.derrynow.com/rugby/calm...pends-christmas-back-among-irish-roots/139443
Christmas back in Craigbane was the perfect way to recharge the batteries for the season ahead. Michael McMullan caught up with James Hasson of Sydney based rugby league club Parramatta Eels about his journey from the Sperrin mountains to the shores of Botany Bay and the Australian premiership.
***
THE Glenrandel Road is a long way from Campbell Street in the Parramatta suburb of Sydney - worlds apart, city versus country and the contrast in climate.
It’s the lull between Christmas and New Year but James Hasson is the picture of contentment as he trots down the brae towards Craigbane’s home - Gerry Crossan Park.
Happed up in layers, with a hat to shield the winter air, the sheer physique of the 24 year-old professional rugby star is striking. Hands like shovels, Hasson would be a major asset in Craigbane’s quest for an eighth championship.
The strong Aussie accent is a giveaway – 21 years away from Ireland his goals are different now. The focus is helping the Eels to a first premiership since 1986 and righting the wrongs of 2016.
The eldest son of Gerry and Michelle Hasson, they left Ireland when James was just three years of age. Along with sisters Nicola (23), Ashleigh (21) and brother Patrick (20), the family still have strong links to Ireland.
“My father and one of his brothers Fergal are in Australia. A couple of my other aunts and uncles have been over so most of them have experienced a little taste of Oz.
“I get home at least once a year,” Hasson admitted. “Dad always brought us back at a young age, we always had trips over here when we were kids so it was always good to get back and catch up with the family.”
“We lived at the top of the brae or whatever house we could find for rent - we even stayed in a caravan at the back of the grandparents’ house.”
Sitting in Craigbane’s impressive clubhouse, Hasson casts his mind back to his earliest memory of Ireland. “It was probably when I was eight or nine, running around the fields with the old boy and Grandpa (Joe Hasson), up on the hills herding the sheep.”
The busy rugby lifestyle dictates much of Hasson’s plans: “It’s good to get back at Christmas but this is my first Christmas back in about six years. I don’t get to see the summer with the way the season works out. If I get back it is usually September or October.
“The cold isn’t too bad,” Hasson joked. “They complain about it but it’s not as bad everyone makes it out to be.”
The oval ball wasn’t his first introduction to sport, with a ‘little bit’ of Karate giving rise to a competitive edge that progressed in Australia’s most popular sport – rugby league.
“When eight years of age I started to play rugby and that is a little bit late – the kids start at five or even younger – so eight was a late enough start,” explained Hasson.
While at the De La Salle school in Caringbah, close to Bontany Bay, Hasson began his rugby career in the ‘B’ team. The grade was irrelevant, playing and ‘having a bit of fun’ was more important.
GETTING SERIOUS
Hasson’s talents saw him quickly move up the ranks in a pathway towards a professional contract.
“The representative football begins at U16 in the Harold Matthews Cup. You work your way up into U18s and U20s, then if you are lucky enough you get a full time contract after that.
“You’ve got to get picked from the local competition and once you are in the system managers come and pick you up. If a club want you, they will contact the manager to see if you can agree terms,” Hasson outlined.
After a junior career with the Cronulla Sharks, Hasson got selected for the U20s but injury threatened to put his progress off the rails. Groin reconstructions, a broken hand and a broken leg tested the mental resolve.
“I broke my leg when I was 19 - it was the last week of pre-season and we were about to start round one. We were wrestling and I got my leg caught under another bloke and broke my leg.
“I probably missed about 10 weeks, but I was lucky enough to have worked hard during my injury and came back well. I was lucky enough to get back into the team, play some good football and get noticed,” Hasson explained.
Then came an offer from Manly, too good to turn down: “They offered me a significantly better deal than the Sharks had offered me – the rest was history. I moved to Manly and had three really good years there.”
Hasson played 39 times in a three year career as a prop or in Manly’s second row, narrowly missing out on a place in the squad for the 2013 Grand Final in his first season as a professional. His progress was enough to flag up the interest of the Parramatta Eels.
ON THE OUTSIDE
A transfer in the 2016 season didn’t go as planned. The Eels were the subject to an investigation - leaving Hasson out in the cold, all as a result of circumstances beyond his control.
“The club got caught for cheating their salary cap. They were paying people under the table which was a bit unfortunate by the old management,” outlined Hasson.
In the last game for Manly in 2015 Hasson picked up a suspension for a ‘high tackle’ but little did he think how it would impact his new career at Parramatta.
“I came from Manly with a suspension so I missed out on trial football in the first couple of rounds so by the time I was ready to play – I was unable to make the first team due to the salary cap issues. It was a bit of a downer but hopefully I can put in a good season this year.”
If Hasson is to strut across the winners podium in October, his new look team will have ended a 31 year famine since their last premiership title.
“It is the longest premiership drought of any of the clubs but we have assembled a really strong squad, the old management have been replaced and some steps have been put in the right directions for success,“ highlighted Hasson, looking ahead with hope to a new season.
“We have set some high goals and we have targets we want to meet this year. We want to play finals football and go for the Grand Final.”
Last Wednesday the Eels recommenced their preparations. Hasson is back in Sydney after topping up his training over Christmas in Craigbane’s gym.
“We done seven weeks of pre-season prior to Christmas. We had a two week break and now we have five or six weeks, then we will have trials. We will have one week off then the season will start,” outlined Hasson.
“We had a (pre-season) camp up in the central coast and that was the height of it. It was three days, two days of low intensity skill work and weights work. We finished off (on the third day) with a six mile run over sand dunes, up over hills in 40 degree heat so that was the worst day.”
Like all sports, pre-season is gruelling, getting the body conditioned for the rigors of a full season. Monday to Friday, 6.30 in the morning until 2.30 – field sessions, extra work, boxing, wrestling and weights.
“It depends on what the schedule looks like, that’s what your day could consist of. During the season, you have a match at the weekend so Monday could be a bit of a recovery session. Then a light session building up slowly towards the weekend. We will do three or four sessions,” Hasson added.
Playing in the second row is a different proposition in rugby league to its union equivalent, as Hasson explains.
“League is a much faster game, I don’t know if it is tradition or it is the way it is played but they (Australians) like it more. Maybe the rugby (union) down in Oz at the moment is not exciting enough for them. So the rugby league has kind of held that number one spot over the rugby.”
WORLD STAGE
This autumn, for the second successive time, Hasson will be part of Ireland’s rugby league squad for the World Cup hosted in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. It follows on from wearing the green jersey in the 2013 tournament based in England.
“It’s always a proud moment when I get to represent the Irish team so I will be looking forward to it. Rugby league in Ireland is on the up and it would be good for it to keep going and developing.
“I will come over a few times and link it in with holidays. I have watched a few games when I have been injured and this time I played a game against Spain and one down in Bray against Russia.”
By the time Ireland kick-off this year’s competition in Cairns against the Italians, on Sunday October 29, Hasson will have a full season under his belt – making up for lost time in 2016.
Team goals are one thing, but the overall collective is driven by the individuals. The former Craigbane resident speaks about the motivation behind it all, behind all the sacrifice.
“Rugby was the sport I was put into, it was the sport I loved and I was always watching it when I was younger. I guess you just have small goals and try to be the best player that you can and once you start achieving these things you always want more and more and more.
“It gets to be like an addiction to be the best player you can be – when you work hard and have the passion for the game then things happen. They always say that ‘hard work beats talent’”, a mantra Hasson fully supports.
During his amateur and junior days he worked in the fast-food chain Subway and comes from a carpentry background but now it’s all about delivering the goods in the blue of Parramatta. What next?
“It depends where the rugby takes me. I have no plans at the moment and I have another year with the Eels. I will have another crack and see where it takes me.
https://www.derrynow.com/rugby/calm...pends-christmas-back-among-irish-roots/139443
Christmas back in Craigbane was the perfect way to recharge the batteries for the season ahead. Michael McMullan caught up with James Hasson of Sydney based rugby league club Parramatta Eels about his journey from the Sperrin mountains to the shores of Botany Bay and the Australian premiership.
***
THE Glenrandel Road is a long way from Campbell Street in the Parramatta suburb of Sydney - worlds apart, city versus country and the contrast in climate.
It’s the lull between Christmas and New Year but James Hasson is the picture of contentment as he trots down the brae towards Craigbane’s home - Gerry Crossan Park.
Happed up in layers, with a hat to shield the winter air, the sheer physique of the 24 year-old professional rugby star is striking. Hands like shovels, Hasson would be a major asset in Craigbane’s quest for an eighth championship.
The strong Aussie accent is a giveaway – 21 years away from Ireland his goals are different now. The focus is helping the Eels to a first premiership since 1986 and righting the wrongs of 2016.
The eldest son of Gerry and Michelle Hasson, they left Ireland when James was just three years of age. Along with sisters Nicola (23), Ashleigh (21) and brother Patrick (20), the family still have strong links to Ireland.
“My father and one of his brothers Fergal are in Australia. A couple of my other aunts and uncles have been over so most of them have experienced a little taste of Oz.
“I get home at least once a year,” Hasson admitted. “Dad always brought us back at a young age, we always had trips over here when we were kids so it was always good to get back and catch up with the family.”
“We lived at the top of the brae or whatever house we could find for rent - we even stayed in a caravan at the back of the grandparents’ house.”
Sitting in Craigbane’s impressive clubhouse, Hasson casts his mind back to his earliest memory of Ireland. “It was probably when I was eight or nine, running around the fields with the old boy and Grandpa (Joe Hasson), up on the hills herding the sheep.”
The busy rugby lifestyle dictates much of Hasson’s plans: “It’s good to get back at Christmas but this is my first Christmas back in about six years. I don’t get to see the summer with the way the season works out. If I get back it is usually September or October.
“The cold isn’t too bad,” Hasson joked. “They complain about it but it’s not as bad everyone makes it out to be.”
The oval ball wasn’t his first introduction to sport, with a ‘little bit’ of Karate giving rise to a competitive edge that progressed in Australia’s most popular sport – rugby league.
“When eight years of age I started to play rugby and that is a little bit late – the kids start at five or even younger – so eight was a late enough start,” explained Hasson.
While at the De La Salle school in Caringbah, close to Bontany Bay, Hasson began his rugby career in the ‘B’ team. The grade was irrelevant, playing and ‘having a bit of fun’ was more important.
GETTING SERIOUS
Hasson’s talents saw him quickly move up the ranks in a pathway towards a professional contract.
“The representative football begins at U16 in the Harold Matthews Cup. You work your way up into U18s and U20s, then if you are lucky enough you get a full time contract after that.
“You’ve got to get picked from the local competition and once you are in the system managers come and pick you up. If a club want you, they will contact the manager to see if you can agree terms,” Hasson outlined.
After a junior career with the Cronulla Sharks, Hasson got selected for the U20s but injury threatened to put his progress off the rails. Groin reconstructions, a broken hand and a broken leg tested the mental resolve.
“I broke my leg when I was 19 - it was the last week of pre-season and we were about to start round one. We were wrestling and I got my leg caught under another bloke and broke my leg.
“I probably missed about 10 weeks, but I was lucky enough to have worked hard during my injury and came back well. I was lucky enough to get back into the team, play some good football and get noticed,” Hasson explained.
Then came an offer from Manly, too good to turn down: “They offered me a significantly better deal than the Sharks had offered me – the rest was history. I moved to Manly and had three really good years there.”
Hasson played 39 times in a three year career as a prop or in Manly’s second row, narrowly missing out on a place in the squad for the 2013 Grand Final in his first season as a professional. His progress was enough to flag up the interest of the Parramatta Eels.
ON THE OUTSIDE
A transfer in the 2016 season didn’t go as planned. The Eels were the subject to an investigation - leaving Hasson out in the cold, all as a result of circumstances beyond his control.
“The club got caught for cheating their salary cap. They were paying people under the table which was a bit unfortunate by the old management,” outlined Hasson.
In the last game for Manly in 2015 Hasson picked up a suspension for a ‘high tackle’ but little did he think how it would impact his new career at Parramatta.
“I came from Manly with a suspension so I missed out on trial football in the first couple of rounds so by the time I was ready to play – I was unable to make the first team due to the salary cap issues. It was a bit of a downer but hopefully I can put in a good season this year.”
If Hasson is to strut across the winners podium in October, his new look team will have ended a 31 year famine since their last premiership title.
“It is the longest premiership drought of any of the clubs but we have assembled a really strong squad, the old management have been replaced and some steps have been put in the right directions for success,“ highlighted Hasson, looking ahead with hope to a new season.
“We have set some high goals and we have targets we want to meet this year. We want to play finals football and go for the Grand Final.”
Last Wednesday the Eels recommenced their preparations. Hasson is back in Sydney after topping up his training over Christmas in Craigbane’s gym.
“We done seven weeks of pre-season prior to Christmas. We had a two week break and now we have five or six weeks, then we will have trials. We will have one week off then the season will start,” outlined Hasson.
“We had a (pre-season) camp up in the central coast and that was the height of it. It was three days, two days of low intensity skill work and weights work. We finished off (on the third day) with a six mile run over sand dunes, up over hills in 40 degree heat so that was the worst day.”
Like all sports, pre-season is gruelling, getting the body conditioned for the rigors of a full season. Monday to Friday, 6.30 in the morning until 2.30 – field sessions, extra work, boxing, wrestling and weights.
“It depends on what the schedule looks like, that’s what your day could consist of. During the season, you have a match at the weekend so Monday could be a bit of a recovery session. Then a light session building up slowly towards the weekend. We will do three or four sessions,” Hasson added.
Playing in the second row is a different proposition in rugby league to its union equivalent, as Hasson explains.
“League is a much faster game, I don’t know if it is tradition or it is the way it is played but they (Australians) like it more. Maybe the rugby (union) down in Oz at the moment is not exciting enough for them. So the rugby league has kind of held that number one spot over the rugby.”
WORLD STAGE
This autumn, for the second successive time, Hasson will be part of Ireland’s rugby league squad for the World Cup hosted in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. It follows on from wearing the green jersey in the 2013 tournament based in England.
“It’s always a proud moment when I get to represent the Irish team so I will be looking forward to it. Rugby league in Ireland is on the up and it would be good for it to keep going and developing.
“I will come over a few times and link it in with holidays. I have watched a few games when I have been injured and this time I played a game against Spain and one down in Bray against Russia.”
By the time Ireland kick-off this year’s competition in Cairns against the Italians, on Sunday October 29, Hasson will have a full season under his belt – making up for lost time in 2016.
Team goals are one thing, but the overall collective is driven by the individuals. The former Craigbane resident speaks about the motivation behind it all, behind all the sacrifice.
“Rugby was the sport I was put into, it was the sport I loved and I was always watching it when I was younger. I guess you just have small goals and try to be the best player that you can and once you start achieving these things you always want more and more and more.
“It gets to be like an addiction to be the best player you can be – when you work hard and have the passion for the game then things happen. They always say that ‘hard work beats talent’”, a mantra Hasson fully supports.
During his amateur and junior days he worked in the fast-food chain Subway and comes from a carpentry background but now it’s all about delivering the goods in the blue of Parramatta. What next?
“It depends where the rugby takes me. I have no plans at the moment and I have another year with the Eels. I will have another crack and see where it takes me.
