It’s a busy time for Steelers SG Ball prop Jett Liu as the young forward prepares to juggle football and study commitments in his first season for the Club.
Liu moved to the Illawarra last November, completing a full pre-season with the St George Illawarra Dragons, recently travelling with the squad to Mudgee for the annual Charity Shield clash with the Rabbitohs.
Relishing the chance to learn from seasoned NRL players such as Aaron Woods, Blake Lawrie, and Zane Musgrove, Lui aims to use the experience to help transition from SG Ball into higher representative honours later in the season.
“All of the older boys, they all help you. They’ve been in the game for a long time, so they know all of the little tricks about performance and the little things that help you better yourself and get that extra centimetre everybody wants,” Liu says.
Early challenges
Originally from Leeton in the Riverina, located over 500 kilometres from Wollongong, Jett completed school last year and will soon begin his first year studying a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Criminology at the University of Wollongong.
His footy CV includes time at the Canberra Raiders in their Harold Matthews and SG Ball Cup teams and First Grade experience for Wagga Kangaroos in the Group 9 senior competition.
While moving away from his home and family presented some early challenges, Liu is now settled and focused on a big 2023 season.
“I’ve only been here for a short time, but the Steelers and the Dragons have really welcomed me. Moving away from home after finishing school was a big thing for me, and I’ve felt that the Club and all the boys have welcomed me with open arms.
“One of my big goals this year is to play consistent footy, no matter what grade.”
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Finals footy
As for SG Ball, the goal is finals footy, and he feels the team has the skills to go all the way if they can start playing their brand of football for the remainder of the season.
“I think we haven’t quite been playing our game, but if we go out there and play the way we want to play, we can perform our roles as individuals and holistically as a team.”
Steelers fans will undoubtedly watch with interest this season as the hard-running prop and university student continues to plot his path to a bright future on and off the field.
Words | Russ Haylock
