‘Only you can get yourself anywhere’: Proud Woolf ready for All Stars arena

When Brent Woolf dons his NRL Indigenous All Stars jersey for the first time, it will be a moment that not only represents his heritage and culture, but one that reflects every hurdle and hardship the Redcliffe Dolphins hooker has faced on his road to the top.

A proud Gunggandji man, hailing from Yarrabah in the state’s north, Woolf has been named in Ronald Griffiths’ team to make his debut against the Maori All Stars in Waikato on February 15.

It is no doubt going to be a career highlight for Woolf, who last year celebrated 100 Hostplus Cup games.

But it is also a highlight that has been hard earned and well-deserved, with the 27-year-old having to overcome plenty to get to this point, including a ruptured ACL, two shoulder reconstructions and a grade four hamstring injury in the back end of last year, that kept him sidelined from Round 13 onwards.

He says he remained determined and resilient throughout every curveball and he knows those traits come from his Indigenous heritage.

Brent Woolf in the 2024 Indigenous jersey.

“I’m pretty level-headed most of the time and don’t let things affect me all that much but I do feel like I’m going to be emotional about (putting that jersey on),” Woolf said.

“Just with the amount of effort I’ve put in, it’s been a long road. I’ve never had an easy way through things.

“I’ve always had to go the long way so it will be emotional for me to run out there and realise I’ve achieved this despite everything that’s happened, despite the big injuries, my hamstring last year.”

“The physio said it was one of the worst hamstring injuries he’s ever seen on scans and people kept saying I wouldn’t be the same when I came back. With my knee, they said I wouldn’t play again.

“To push through, show resilience… resilience is a common denominator of Aboriginal people.

“The ability to push through hardship and come out the other side; the loss of our culture and family members, to still be here in these spaces and performing at a high level, it will hit me hard.”

Off the back of his hamstring injury last year, Woolf certainly battled with some uncertainty around his future.

As the Dolphins headed into finals, he wasn’t able to crack the 17 again under the tutelage of former coach Eric Smith and was hesitant to play in the Koori Knockout in case he reaggravated the injury.

But then former Redcliffe fullback Zac Miles spoke to All Star mentor Griffiths, who was coaching the Yowies in the Knockout, about the possibility of getting Woolf on board.

His decision to play in that carnival proved to be a turning point.

“I wasn’t going to play because I had some stuff going on, I didn’t have a team, and I was unsure coming off my grade four hamstring injury,” he said.

“I thought it wasn’t the best idea, I was pretty raw and there was a risk involved. I had spent 14 weeks trying to rehab it trying to get back for Redcliffe.

“Zac Miles asked what I was doing and he said, ‘I’ll speak to the Yowies coach and see if we can get you down and see if you’re keen.’

“Ronnie, he’s a good fella and he seemed super keen to get me down there. I took a chance and risked it and went down there with him.

“I knew he was the All Stars coach and he dropped a couple things, like that he was looking for hookers. He said he’d see how I’d go. We ended up winning, so that helps.

“It’s probably the best Knockout I’ve ever played. Hindsight is 20/20 but there’s no better result that could have happened. Thank you, Zaccy Miles.”

Woolf’s Indigenous heritage comes from his mother’s side of the family.

He spent most of his childhood growing up with his dad, Ben Woolf, but then had a chance meeting with his cousin while studying at QUT and started to learn more about his heritage and his culture.

Now, when he gets the chance, he heads up north to spend time with his family – the Dirringhi family – and play for their rugby league team in Yarrabah.

“I do make an effort to go see my family and make a connection,” he said.

“They’ve been really good to welcome me back with open arms. They’ve done a good job of getting me there and teaching me the ancestry and the importance of where I’m from and who I’m related to.

“Playing (All Stars), it’s a big opportunity to play against the best players of each culture. It’s a big opportunity to test yourself against the best but also the opportunity to represent who I am, my culture, my family.

“There’s a big emphasis on that side of things in the camp. I’m also looking forward to rubbing shoulders with the Indigenous leaders and like-minded Aboriginal people that want to do the best for who they are and where they’re from.

“I want to compete against the best players and show that I’m capable of doing that. I also want to represent who I am and have people know that I am Aboriginal, that I am capable and it’s possible for us to do things like that.”

Outside of the Indigenous All Stars match, there are plenty of positive signs ahead for Woolf.

Redcliffe coach Dave Elliott has reassured him of his future at the club, and Woolf is feeling fit and as ready to go as ever.

And as he reflects on his journey, he knows there’s only one person who has got him to this point – himself.

“Only you can get yourself anywhere,” he said.

“It’s not up to anybody else to drag you out of the fire. People can assist you and my dad’s always believed in me… my aunty is a big one, my dad’s partner… they’ve all believed in me and thought I could get through it.

“But you have to believe in yourself and what you’re capable of first and foremost. You have to put in the work.”