Twin brothers Tyler and Tashiem Abbott were so desperate to achieve their dream of playing in Australia's National Rugby League ( NRL ), they embarked on a truly remarkable journey. Accompanied by handler Barry Watts, the Australian duo spent six months travelling from Alice Springs to Taree on the New South Wales north coast for 3000 miles - on camels.
The two boys, aged just 15, made the first step of their dream come true as they participated in the NSW Rugby League's (NSWRL) elite Indigenous under-16s player program. Despite growing up in the AFL-dominated red centre, the Abbott brothers have made an impression and explained why they were so keen to make the incredible journey.
“We started from Alice Spring to Taree with camels, it took us six months,” Tashiem told NITV. “We done the travelling so we could get out of trouble from Alice Springs. Now we're down here playing footy getting more opportunities... footy changed my life.”
They spent three days at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence in Sydney Olympic Park with the top Indigenous players across the state. They now represent Taree Red Rovers, as well as taking part in the Clontarf Academy, which specialises in encouraging Indigenous play to reach the top level of the sport.
They are currently reaping the rewards of the great sacrifices they made, as they shot kangaroos for food, porridge and the occasional bacon and egg roll if they were able to get their hands on one along their journey. Tyler told NSWRL how the number of camels they began the journey with decreased over the six-month period.
“We started with 10 camels but when we got to Taree we only had four. Some ran away and some passed away and we sold two along the way,” he shared. “We had a good map and we never felt lost or scared ... when we started we were only 12. We do feel a sense of pride but there was a purpose – we wanted to get to our family in Taree and to play rugby league.”
After camels were first introduced to Australia from the Canary Islands in 1840, it is suggested that Indigenous people are renowned for their camel-handling skills and ability to travel long distances with them.
Despite being in their mid-teens, both brothers are already powerfully-built and look primed for the rugby league, with Tyler playing at the lock position. With an eye on the future, Tashiem even suggested they knew exactly what club they'd like to play for, should their dreams come true.
“We'd like to go to the NRL – South Sydney maybe, although we might start with the Wests Tigers,” he laughed. “They got the wooden spoon (in 2022) so they might need some help.”
