Loss of sister spurs new Titan’s career
THE death of Gold Coast Titans recruit Patrick Herbert’s 17-year-old sister is the constant heartache driving the rising Kiwi rugby league player to sacrifice everything to honour her memory.
Herbert was just 20 years old himself, having left his family in Whakatane to test himself in a foreign rugby code with the St George Illawarra Dragons, when a phone call from home shattered his perspective on football.
The voice on the other end of the line informed him that his teenage sister Teresa Mae had taken her own life. Herbert says her loss three years ago remains the hardest obstacle he has ever overcome.
“She always looked up to me,” he said.
“I was her older brother; she was 17 at the time.
“That was a pretty tough time, not just for me but my family as well.”
The support of Herbert’s fiancee Kiki was the first step in translating his pain into the strength to carry Teresa Mae’s memory on to the field with him.
“With her by my side it made it a lot easier,” Herbert said.
“Obviously it was still pretty tough but I use that as motivation now.”
Herbert signed with the New Zealand Warriors to be closer to his healing family in 2019 but was cut adrift by the club at the end of the 2020 season after 21 games.
Gold Coast, via Herbert’s former Junior Kiwis head coach and Titans recruitment manager Ezra Howe, was quick to express its interest in bringing in the former New Zealand schoolboy rugby player to partner rising star Brian Kelly.
“I definitely want to but it’s going to be a grind,” Herbert said of filling the Titans No.4 jersey. “There’s great depth at this club, so many talented players.
“They’re all good dudes, honestly. I can’t say a bad work about them.
“They’re all real professional, all just having a dig. It’s different to the Poly (Polynesian) boys back home.
“You can hang out with anyone, it’s like everyone is on the same level here.
“You see eye-to-eye with everyone. There’s no egos over there (at Warriors) but it’s just everyone is real easy to talk to at the Titans.”
A point of difference in Herbert’s favour in the centre race is his talent from the goalkicking tee.
The 23-year-old has kicked 18 from 25 career goals at a 72 per cent success rate; better than the career averages of both incumbent Titans kickers Ash Taylor (68 per cent) and Jamal Fogarty (60).
“I’m no Jonathan Thurston but I like goalkicking and I’ve worked hard at it,” Herbert said.
“I’d love to do it but I have to get in the team first.
“I haven’t gone through what the goalkicking process is here but I’ll put my hand up, 100 per cent.”