Justin Olam about life as a rugby league player.

JUSTIN OLAM RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER

When he was six years old, rugby league player Justin ‘Juzzy’ Olam watched Melbourne Storm win the 1999 NRL grand final against the St George Illawarra Dragons. Fast forward two decades and 26-year-old Olam is playing centre for the team that inspired him to dream big and work hard when he was a little kid living in Kundiawa, in Chimbu Province.

When PNG Now went to press, Olam had played every game for Storm this season and he had signed a contract extension with the team until the end of 2022.

Justin Olam on …

Playing with my friends as a kid I broke my collarbone in my first carry and had to stop. I didn’t play rugby again for two years. I started playing seriously in 2012, when I was 18 and had started my university degree (Olam graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Physics from the PNG University of Technology).

My favourite players

when I was growing up were Billy Slater and Marcus Bai (who is also the first Papua New Guinean to make it to Melbourne Storm).

This year with Melbourne Storm

I just want to stay healthy and play as many games as I possibly can.

My former team

the PNG

Hunters are doing great. I see a lot of players coming out of clubs and that’s what the team is for; for Papua New Guineans to go and play and keep in the right direction. The Hunters have a new coach, Matt Church, and I know they are going to get so much better.

Keeping grounded

is something I do by always remembering where I came from.

My advice for aspiring Papua New Guinean players

is to believe in yourself and follow your dreams; work very, very hard because nothing in this life is easy.