Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Maroons legend Sam Thaiday joins the Rugby League Players Association's Keegan Hipgrave for the latest instalment of The Players' Perspective.

Sam opens up about his upbringing with some unique experiences, as well as some of his favourite moments in his career as well as his advice for players who are retiring.

01:00 – Growing Up & Family

06:30 – Journey into the NRL

14:56 – NRL Role Models

17:13 – Relationship with Wayne Bennett

21:13 – Question from Corey Oates pt. 1 – 2013 World Cup Tour

25:24 – Question from Corey Oates pt. 2 – Best part of playing Rugby League/ Favourite Winger

30:17 – Question from Jharal Yow Yeh – How was your transition away from the game?

34:56 – Guiding others through transition

40:18 – Making the most of opportunities

42:06 – How the RLPA has changed over time

44:37 – The importance of staying connected

49:54 – Retirement: Grand Final Weekend

54:13 – Best advice to pass on to anyone coming out of the game

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In this debut episode, the RLPA's Keegan Hipgrave catches up with former NRL star Shaun Kenny-Dowall while in Hull, England where Shaun is a coach with Hull KR. They discuss SKD's transition into retirement and coaching, finding your identity after and away from rugby league, and how he's seen the game change since his debut as a 19 year old.

In this episode:

00:00 – Catch-up and RLPA in the UK

01:13 – Hull KR this season

01:42 – SKD's upbringing and moving to Australia to play rugby league

08:13 – SKD's career highlight

09:00 – Who SKD looked up to

11:42 – How the RLPA has changed over the course of SKD's career

13:57 – Football identity and managing life outside of the game

16:29 – Adjusting to playing in the UK

18:26 – Finding connections overseas

19:53 – Player association presence in the UK

20:48 – RLPA in the UK: the Past Player and Transition Program

22:16 – Playing for Hull KR and transitioning into coaching

28:35 – Future plans

29:01 – Fatherhood 

30:46 – Support from the Keegan and Tommy

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