Whitfeld passses on knowledge to Goannas

Students from Years 8-12 were given a chance to listen to a dual international and current NRLW player in Jakiya Whitfeld, as part of the first session of the Goannas Academy.

Fifty students were selected for The Goanna Academy’s MindED Program, an engaging and supportive workshop focused on building positive mental health and wellbeing. The program helps young people develop practical strategies for resilience, emotional awareness, and looking after themselves and others.

Through interactive and culturally informed activities, students will learn valuable skills that support confidence, connection, and healthy decision-making. This is an opportunity for students to strengthen their wellbeing in a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable environment.

During her opening introduction, Whitfeld, a current NRLW player with the North Queensland Cowboys, discussed the mental difficulties she faced after an ACL injury as well as missing out on selection in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Squad for Rugby 7s.

It's one of the things you appreciate when travelling through this country. You can be heading to a school to run a clinic and encounter something you definitely don't see every day.

She outlined how she battled through those tough times and stressed to the students that looking after their mental health is just as important as their physical health.

Students were then quizzed on the best ways they deal with stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed, with answers varying from listening to music to exercise.

The group of fifty students was then split in half to participate in goal-setting exercises, while the other half headed outside to battle it out in a game of walking touch and test their reaction times against each other.

The program will be held again in two weeks' time, when the students will have the chance to meet NRL legend and founder of the Goanna Academy, Greg Inglis.