Joie Whybrow has been lighting up the field in 2017 for his U14 side. He has been selected in the U14 Group 9 side set to play at McLean Oval on Sunday May 21. Joie is pictured here running in for a try under the posts against Temora on Saturday at McLean Oval.
Joie Whybrow played Soccer from the U5s up until the end of 2015, when he decided he might try his luck in the world of Rugby League. Joie had only ever played a handful of games for Trinity School before he attended the 2016 U13 trials for Group 9. He hadn’t played a game for the Hawks yet.
There were some confused parents after the trial, when ‘the kid who was playing his first game’ was picked over other players who had spent up to 7 or 8 years in the sport.
Don’t worry, the coaches didn’t make a mistake and pick the wrong player and Joie went on to make the side again this year in the U14s.
The 2016 Group 9 trial was Joie’s first proper match outside of school and he proved he was a worthy selection. He went on to score over 40 tries for the Harden/Boorowa BushHawks during the 2016 season.
He likes the freedom that both positions of Fullback and Lock, provide his style of play, even though one position is in the backs and the other in the forwards. He is just happy playing the game.
Joie kicked 8 goals from 8 attempts on Saturday against Temora and scored 5 tries in the match, to finish with a personal tally of 34 points.
Joie kicking one of his 8 goals on Saturday. He didn’t miss an attempt.
But it’s not all about Joie and that’s what makes this story and this young man even more interesting. Joie is often seen giving the final pass away to a team mate who may be in a slightly better place than him to score, when brute force would probably have gotten Joie there himself. He is a team player.
Joie is a young man whose ability and just as importantly his attitude, will see him go a long way. Often too much pressure is put on Rugby League players at a young age. The pressure can get too much for some of them with the weight of expectation on their shoulders. Joie doesn’t seem fazed. The opposition are.
When taking some photos of Joie on Saturday, I found myself behind the try line after another Hawks try. In ear shot of the Temora players huddled around each other. They were taking in water when one chap said, “Just cover Whybrow, you know they are gunna give him the ball.”
Joie leaves a defender is his wake.
Covering Whybrow doesn’t necessarily yield results when ‘Whybrow’ passes the ball out wider, after drawing in several defenders. Joie said “They try and come in numbers now” but this allows Joie to set his team mates up.
Joie’s mum Katharyn said “I have had parents come up to me and say how happy their son is playing with Joie and that their sons have enjoyed scoring tries” many of which Joie sets up.
Joie shapes to pass to a team mate.
Joie said he plays the game for the fun of it. “I don’t take it too seriously, I like having fun, I don’t go out there and be too aggressive, it’s just good fun playing with mates. I just like to see all my mates on the weekend” When asked where Rugby League might take him, he said, “It depends where it goes, I’ll just see how I go, i’d like to see where it takes me but I won’t be disappointed with footy.”
Sporting skills run in the family. Katharyn and her brother Rodney have always been sporty. Rodney played Rugby League, Rugby Union and AFL all in the one weekend when they were growing up in Temora. He went on to be selected in the Australian team for long distance running to tour South East Asia in 1990. Katharyn played lots of sports including Soccer, Netball, Volleyball, Cross Country and Horse Riding.
Rugby League is in the blood. Joie’s dad Chris, ‘Zeek’ Whybrow was no slouch on the Rugby League field either and played first grade for the Harden Hawks for most of the 1990s. He played in the 97 and 99 Grand Finals against Tumbarumba and Wagga Kangaroos. He played Second Row and Front Row and was a barnstorming runner of the ball and lethal defender. He made his debut in the late 80s before retiring in 2000.
Chris said of Joie,”He is super keen, he loves every minute of it, he is happy to learn and listens to the coaches. He wasn’t allowed to play until he was 13 and that only made him keener now.” Joie’s grandfather, Jack Whybrow was one of the best players to ever come out of Harden and took over in the halves after Eric Kuhn finished his career. The mantle was passed from one great to another.
Both Chris and Jack were nominated for the best Harden Hawks side of the past 40 years in 2014, which was a great honour, with Jack making it into the team. Jack was one of the players who donned the new maroon and white guernseys back in 1974 with players such as Ken Lemon, Mick Shea, Jessie James, Paul Glover, Terry Ricketts, John Shea, Garry Davis, Charlie Dyball, Dave Stephenson, Bob Hardy, Kevin Pollard, Garry Quinn, Ken Beatty, Dick Crooks, Ray Cross, Mick Bryant and Harvey Jones. Their most convincing win coming in July of that year against Wagga Magpies in recording a win of 30 points to 2. Try scorers on the day were none other than Jack Whybrow with 3, Paul Glover with 2 and Garry Davis and John Shea 1.
The leaf doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
Jack played first grade for 10 years and modestly said “We had a couple of good years”. He won the Best and Fairest for Group 9 which included a Cruise to the tropical Island of Fiji in 1971. Jack also won four club Best and Fairest awards in 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1979.
In Paul McCarthy’s book ‘Code Red’, Nicky Cullen in the Foreword names Jack amongst 9 other former players who are regarded as major contributors to the flight of the Harden Hawks. It’s clear that Joie has a bright future in Rugby League and that his family has a very impressive pedigree in all sports.
There weren’t many people in Rugby League who knew of Joie Whybrow before the 2016 Group 9 trials. Although the Whybrow name is very well known across a couple of generations. It seems the Rugby League community well and truly know who he is now.
The Times wishes Joie all the best when he represents Group 9 on Sunday May 21 at McLean Oval. We know this exceptional young man, will take it all in his stride and continue to do the Harden Hawks club very proud. Go Joie!
