Kangaroos flyer Josh Addo-Carr hopes his journey back to the Australian side will inspire the next generation of Indigenous footballers.
The winger was unemployed a year ago when he was sacked by the Bulldogs before the Parramatta Eels gave him a career lifeline.
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The Foxx in full flight
Addo-Carr made the most of the opportunity to earn his first Kangaroos selection since the 2022 World Cup.
The 30-year-old is one of six Indigenous players in the squad for the historic Ashes series and he’s determined to continue inspiring emerging First Nations youngsters.
“Being Indigenous I’m very proud to get the chance to represent my country and represent First Nations peoples,” Addo-Carr told NRL.com. “Something I’m very proud of is that Indigenous kids can look up to us in the Australian team.
“They can look at me and know that no matter what you go through in life, as long as you stick to the path or change your ways if you need to, you can do anything.”
Reece Walsh, Kotoni Staggs, Bradman Best, Josh Addo-Carr, Reuben Cotter and Gehamat Shibasaki are the five other Indigenous men in the Kangaroos squad.
The record for the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in an Australian team is seven back in 2015.
Greg Inglis, Will Chambers, Josh Dugan, Alex Johnston, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Bird and Sam Thaiday all featured in the Kangaroos’ 22-12 loss to New Zealand in Brisbane.
Rugby league has a long history of celebrating Indigenous players. Lionel Morgan was the first Aboriginal man to represent Australia in 1960 while Arthur Beetson was the first Indigenous person to captain a national sporting team in 1973.
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Arthur Beetson – Immortal
The NRL also conducts extensive work in First Nations communities and runs multiple programs targeted at improving societal outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Addo-Carr has relished the opportunity to incorporate his Indigenous culture into an Australian squad that features a diverse group of players.
Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Italy, Lebanon and Ukraine are among the countries represented by the Kangaroos throughout the Ashes series.
“The NRL does a great job acknowledging Indigenous players and cultures,” Addo-Carr said. “The NRL does a wonderful job representing all cultures.
“We have a multicultural country and we’re lucky the NRL puts so much effort into celebrating that. If we keep celebrating all our cultures the game will keep getting better.”
Addo-Carr is likely to join Roosters star Mark Nawaqanitawase on the wing for the first Test against England at Wembley Stadium.
The fact that the speedster is on tour with the Kangaroos is a victory in itself.
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Ashes tries through the Ashes
Many experts thought his representative days were behind him even before he got cut loose by the Bulldogs at the end of last season.
Addo-Carr, however, always had confidence in his ability to get back into the Australian side and was determined to repay the Eels for their decision to offer him a contract.
While Parramatta’s club season ended more than a month ago, the winger continued training throughout the finals series to ensure he was ready when Kevin Walters’ call finally came.
“It’s something I wrote down at the start of the year,” Addo-Carr said. “I wanted to put the Australian jumper back on and now I get that opportunity I can’t wait.
“I knew if I knuckled down, ticked every box and made sure I did everything right, then I’d put myself in the picture to put this jersey on again.
“I needed to play good football for the Parramatta Eels first and foremost. That was my focus but I knew if I did that I’d give myself every chance to perform. I kept training to give myself the opportunity to put the Kangaroos jumper and now I’ve got that chance.”
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Still the pinnacle: Yeo keen to start Ashes assault
The Kangaroos completed their first training session in England on Thursday as the squad takes the first step towards building combinations for the series opener.
There was one notable absence, with Lindsay Smith remaining in Australia for his wedding.
With the nuptials wrapped up, the Panthers forward will jump on a plane and join his teammates in London.
“He got married and then he’s on an early flight from Sydney,” captain Isaah Yeo said. “That was tough for him, you get married and then you go and represent your country.
“It’s an unreal couple of weeks for him. I’m stoked, I saw a few of my photos. My missus went to it, she said it was an unreal wedding, so I’m very happy for the pair.”