Nanai puts head down for Schoolboy showdown
HE was the best player in the Aaron Payne Cup, but if there is one thing Jeremiah Nanai won’t do it is rest on his laurels.
The second-rower has demanded his side put their heads back down and go to work ahead of the Queensland NRL Schoolboys final against Palm Beach Currumbin.
Nanai, who claimed the inaugural Michael Morgan Medal, revealed it has been hard on him to earn a start at Kirwan State High School after moving away from family in Cairns.
“They call me two times every week to check in and see how I am going,” Nanai said.
“Everyone misses me back home, but they are supporting me through this.”
Nanai said the switch proved difficult in the early weeks, with a gruelling training program devised by coach Todd Wilson pushing him to breaking point. But it has reflected in his performance on the field with the Kirwan backrower considered one of the state’s best schoolboy footballers.