Written by Maree Parsons, Western Clydesdales

At 10 years old Jayden Corrigan’s life turned upside down.

The Western Clydesdalesfullback has lived through adversity and heartbreak, yet made a promise to himself at 15 that he needed to be a “good role model especially for his future self” despite any setbacks.

“My mum passed away when I was 10 so my older sister and I moved to Taree. This was when I first met my dad,” Jayden said.

“The next few years challenged me, and I ended up moving out of home when I was 15 just after I started to play footy.

“I knew from this early age that I needed to surround myself with good role models and be a good role model for my future self. It is cool looking back now and reflecting on this and knowing that I really did try my hardest.

“It would have been easy to take the wrong path back then, but I am so thankful I stuck to what I believed in. My Aunty Nat, my mum’s sister, was a great role model and so supportive of my work and footy.

“And I am so fortunate coming from a big family on my mum’s side that I have connected with relatives up here in Toowoomba that I had never met before.”

Although only having started playing rugby relatively late compared with most other kids, it didn’t take long for the coach to realise the potential Jayden showed.

“The coach used to help and drop me home after training, which was half an hour out of town. I loved it. I spent two years in the Under 16s and then when I went and lived in town, I started playing in the Under 18 competition,” Jayden said.

The humble footballer was encouraged to put together a showcase after only having played a couple of years and was soon selected by the NYC Titans Team.

The talented young fullback played and trained with the Tweed Seagulls and the Titans for the next three years.

“This was a great experience and I learnt so much spending time with the Titans and Tweed. During this time I worked my way up from Under 20s to getting my Queensland Cup debut at 21,” he said.

“This is something I would never have thought possible only a few years back so I was stoked!”

Jayden then got offered a new deal with last year’s Queensland Cup premiers North Devils where he spent two years before COVID-19 struck the competition.

“As like everyone else it was a strange time but looking back it was time away from everything that we will never get again,” he said.

The avid photographer and lover of nature and exploring spent three months travelling alone.

“I first went up to visit my sister in Emerald but then just went driving to anywhere and everywhere I could,” he said.

“I was living wherever I camped and I can now vouch for seeing some of the most beautiful parts of Queensland and New South Wales. I love the ocean and the land and I got to experience it all from waterfalls to endless beaches to beautiful plains of wide open country.

“During my trip though I did get a call from Valleys Diehards to see if I was interested in playing with them.

“I grabbed this opportunity as I got to play alongside many of my mates as well as Scott Prince.”

Jayden had a cracker of a year, being named the top scorer in the Brisbane Rugby League competition and as a result Northern Pride reached out to see if he was interested in having a trial run in Cairns.

Another year on and the New Zealand Warriors reached out, who were training out of Redcliffe at the time due to the pandemic.

“It definitely was a busy few years and it also led me back with the Norths Devils last year (2022) where we were fortunate to take out the premiership.”

Now Jayden has his eyes set on making it as a Bulldog and helping the Western Clydesdales build a good competitive side in the Queensland Cup.

“I have been in Toowoomba for a few weeks now and am really loving it. I have been exploring lots of the town and love all the gardens in particular the Japanese Gardens and Picnic Point and I can’t not mention all the amazing cafes and street art and I will be working as a diesel mechanic with Hastings Deering,” he said.

“I really can’t thank the community enough for being so welcoming.

“Being given the opportunity by the Bulldogs to help build something exciting up here with the pathway to still have the opportunity to play in Sydney is something I am not taking for granted.

“What the Bulldogs are building is pretty special and I am so excited to get into playing some footy come Saturday 12 March against the PNG Hunters.”

Jayden reflected on what he has had to do to get where he is and added in some sound advice for all those aspiring footballers.

“Getting here has been hard work. It is about being consistent with your training – on and off the field,” he said.

“In fact, off the field is probably more important. What you eat, who you surround yourself with, what you do and who your role models are – these are all so important and fundamental to anyone wanting to go places,” he said.

“Everyone is faced with adversity in some form. For me, losing my mum at a young age, having a disconnect with my dad, and having to find and surround myself with good people and good role models was not something I thought I would have been doing.

“But I am so lucky and have so much to be thankful for. I have reconnected with my Maori heritage and met so many more family members since moving to Toowoomba all the while getting to play the game I love.”

Tickets for the match are available here…. See you at the game!