How ‘Quinny’ tackles NSWIS Athlete Wellbeing and Life Goals

Anthony Quinn’s journey to his role as a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Advisor began 20-years-ago when he was a fresh-faced apprentice electrician juggling his trade with the pressures of playing first grade rugby league for the Newcastle Knights.

Quinn, who is remembered by football fans as a rock-solid defender, a player who could finish a try scoring opportunity, and for his toughness, would eventually appear in a combined total of 212 matches for the Knights and Melbourne Storm.

He’d also win a premiership, represent Country Origin, play three State of Origin matches for New South Wales and be named in the 2008 Australian Kangaroo team’s train-on squad. However, despite his successes ‘Quinny’ [photographed above during his playing days for Melbourne] was always mindful he needed to be prepared for life after footy.

“The average career in the NRL is roughly two years, I was lucky to be a part of it for 12-13 years and to play over 200 games,” said Quinn, who’s football career spanned from 2002-13. “While I tried to take advantage of as much as what was on offer [for athlete support] I did it at my own pace.

“At the start you want to improve your craft as a footballer, and, when you get more experience, you can supplement that with other stuff – study, courses, and the like.”

Quinn is the driving force behind NSWIS’s Career Week which is being run in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport from May 15. Throughout the week NSWIS athletes will – among other opportunities – showcase their skills to employers; attend in-person or virtual training sessions to not only identify their strengths but to help the athletes communicate them in an interview environment, and to also participate in a simulated recruitment process where they prepare for a job application and video interview.

While he is helping NSWIS athletes prepare for life after sport, Quinn praised the efforts of his assistant coach at Newcastle, Craig Miller, for encouraging him – and other young players on the club’s roster – to complete their trade apprenticeships or to continue their tertiary education.

“Support was just coming into place for rugby league back then, and I remember the support being offered was not only for the person as an athlete, but also for you – the person – away from sport,” said Quinn.

“Craig Miller was the assistant coach to Michael Hagan, but he was also the players’ liaison officer, the wellbeing officer – all these things packed into one. He’d help me by doing such things as consult with my employer and also the apprenticeship board because the workforce in the early 2000s wasn’t as flexible as it is now.

“However, Craig pushed me to continue to work – even though the footy was good – because the apprenticeship people needed more time from me on the job.

As Quinn’s rugby league career blossomed and grew, he found part of his being a ‘team player’ was having the inclination to help his teammates develop as people – a trait he attributed to his parents.

“Both my parents were teachers and they helped people to improve their skills and to improve as people,” he said. “They were also coaches within their different field, so, while I’m not a [school] teacher, that’s how I grew up. The effort they put into their practice sat with me throughout [and beyond] my football career.

“I always tried to be involved to help lift the standards of the environment around us, and how we could lift that to improve us all. That led to me becoming involved as a Rugby League Players Association [RLPA] delegate.

“I went on to work for the RLPA and I liaised with players and staff to lift the standards and to get the most out of the whole system.”

As a NSWIS Wellbeing and Engagement Advisor, Quinn – who is currently completing his Bachelor of Psychology – does his utmost to assist the Institute’s athletes. He said the level of support he and his colleagues, Marianna Bradley-Bowen, Tom Livsey, and Cara Dobinson offer is dependent upon an athlete’s needs.

“We always engage with athletes, and at different stages,” he said. “Some athletes have the environment and assistance where they’re pushed along and supported – others might not, so we provide more effort and support around them.

“But it’s important all NSWIS athletes are aware of what we can do, and how we can support them.”

Quinn said the support he received from people, including Miller and then Melbourne Storm’s Peter Robinson and Brian Phelan, and the NRL Careers Team throughout his playing days was invaluable. It also set him on a different path from the life as an electrician when he stowed his well-worn footy boots away.

“Rugby League was what I did and only one aspect of who I was, something I’ve reflected on,” said Quinn. “I look to support the people I work with now.

“The support I received in rugby league helped me to progress, and it led me to become the RLPA delegate within the teams I played for. There was always support for the next move because we had Wellbeing Managers and Career Coaches who’d remind us that footy wasn’t always going to be there. They encouraged us to continue to learn and to pursue our interests.

“I studied to become a ‘sparkie,’ but there was always support for the next move. My path took me from electrical to the fitness industry to working in career development. I started to ask what I could do in [the field of] ‘career development’. I honed my skills at TAFE and from doing Positive Psychology studies, I decided to go to university where I am completing my degree in psychology.

“Everyone has their own path to follow, but as a NSWIS Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Officer, we can help make the journey a little bit easier.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS