Tom Hamilton's Team Talk with Tiarah

Tackling the Tough Topics with Queensland Red and Wallaroo Lock Tiarah Minns 

Last week, I had an opportunity to catch up with one of the Reds super-star players, who is a member of the Wallaroos. Tiarah Minns came to Queensland at the start of last season, after the Melbourne Rebels finished up as a franchise.

We talked about a lot of things, including what the Reds have been focusing on ahead of this weekends semi-final against Fiji, what she loves most about being based at Ballymore, living in Brisbane and much, much more!

I hope you enjoy reading our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it!

Make sure you tune in this weekend, as the Reds take on Fiji in the Super W semi-final! I’ll be watching Stan Sport at 11am on Saturday. I hope you’ll be joining me! (I actually can't wait....)

Hey Tiarah, thanks for making time to catch up, during a busy training schedule! What's been the team's focus ahead of playing Fiji next week in the semi-final?

The team's focus is continued belief, in the team. The really big thing that Frase [Reds coach Andrew Fraser] has been emphasising is, believe it, equals, achieve it.

We’ve been celebrating the win from the weekend, emphasising the good moments, celebrating the little wins, but also another big focus from today was, “how can we get better”? What happened on the weekend was awesome, but there was obviously little things we can still improve on, so we can get better.

I’m excited that we’re in the semi-final! Fiji is a top team, but we can beat them. What's your favourite thing about being based here at Ballymore? And what's your favourite thing about living in Brisbane?

Wow, these are great questions Tom. My favourite thing about Ballymore, a few things really… I love the whole club environment, so not just the women's, but, the men's and women's alike, and the Academy, having everyone all here together, that's a really big thing for me. So yeah, having that community around you, the staff around as well, the media staff down the other end, and everyone saying hi as they come through. I think for me, coming from Melbourne, we had a really good culture down there, that was really important for me, coming up here. 

And the facilities, having our own locker room, having our own training facilities… that would be my favourite things about being at Ballymore. 

And my favourite thing about being in Queensland… I mean, who doesn't love the weather?

For me, to be in winter, and this is a “cold” night for us, is pretty good. I think in Melbourne, if it was a cold night, it would be raining and you’d be freezing. So, this is a very big luxury that we have such nice weather up here.

When you're not playing rugby, what do you love doing?

Well, I’d probably start by saying my studies. I'm studying my master's of physiotherapy at UQ, which is very full on, but I do love it. 

Besides that, I'm very well known for doing a lot of warm ups. I'm usually here quite a few hours early doing my prep. And then outside of the footy scene, catching up with friends, I go to church on Sunday, I have a life group in church, which I love. 

Um, yeah, and besides that, drinking coffee, reading my Bible, I love going to the movies, I love going out in nature as well.

What's the number one thing you'd learned this season in your rugby journey?

This one's been a tough journey for me because I'm out with injury at the moment. That's a really good question. 

I think... I think my biggest thing would be… I've enjoyed this journey, and I think I've been able to, you know, go the furthest I've gone in Wallaroos, and just starting all that, but what I've learned in this journey is probably to trust God. 

I think, honestly, just to trust God and trust his process, and trust that it’s all gonna work out in the end. And I think, yeah, I think that'd be probably my number …one thing. Yeah. And trust the staff here, that I'm gonna get back to full health.

You were 19 when you started playing rugby, what was it that originally drew you to the game?

You did your did your research Tom!

 

I won't go too much in detail about my whole rugby origin, but I got into rugby through netball, and I was doing them both for a while, then I didn't drop netball until end of 2019, which was a lot, especially in year 12.

But I think what drew me to staying with rugby, would have to be, I think the family environment. I know that sounds a bit cheesy, but I think the community around rugby is just something that you don't experience anywhere else.

Like, you genuinely have to be there for your sister around the field, otherwise, they're gonna get smashed, or you’re gonna get smashed. 

So I think it's the, the team aspect of it, and the community off the field, as well as just, the grit and physicality you need in rugby, and to be able to push yourself to the limits, I think I've always loved that aspect.

Before netball, I did surf life-saving, where you're just pushing to limit, body to the limits.

I’d love to hear about your Wallaroos experience. What have you loved most about representing your country?

Wow, these are such a good question, Tom. 

What have I enjoyed most? I think, being on away on tour, and I think this last tour I enjoyed the most, …for a couple of reasons, but I think mostly feeling more comfortable in myself.

So, I think the difference for me, playing before to the start of this year was kind of a mental shift… I think I've always been very hard on myself, and this year, my attitude has been “there's nothing to lose”, I'm just gonna enjoy it and go out there and give everything. So, I think that's probably, what I've enjoyed the most with Wallaroo’s, representing and like, backing myself. Enjoying it, is what I've enjoyed most, if that makes sense. 

I think it can be so easy at the top level to put so much pressure on yourself and then that pressure just takes away joy. Pressure to a certain degree is awesome. But when you put too much weight on yourself, then it just takes away from that joy. I think I’ve been finding that balance a little bit more.

And then, obviously, seeing America was pretty cool, as well. Being able to travel with Wallaroos has been amazing. I’ve gone to some amazing places like America, where else… to Fiji, to Ireland, Wales, South Africa... So, yeah, I've been very blessed to travel around.

What would your advice be for young up and coming players?

Ooh. My biggest advice would be two things: One would be to enjoy the journey. That's something that my dad said to me when I was very young and it sounds simple, but like I said, it's very easy to forget that, when you have that pressure on you and you’re in high stakes environments. 

It can be a bumpy ride, it comes with ups and downs, and I've had plenty of setbacks and injuries and missed selections and missing World Cups, but I think you've got to enjoy the ups and downs of it too. I've had so many good moments when I have missed out as well in life, and in footy... I think enjoying the journey, that'd be my biggest one.

And I think, also, to not be afraid to work hard for it as well, doing the one percenters, and really working harder than everyone next to you. If you put in the effort, then you'll get there eventually, no matter how long it takes, like, you will get there.

What’s a fun fact about you that most fans wouldn’t know?

Ooh. Before I answer this, genuinely, this is one of the best interviews I've ever had. These are very good questions Tom. I have to really think about these. Wow. What's a fun fact, no one knows about me... 

Most people know that I come from a big family, I’m one of five kids, I'm the fourth. Um, I grew up doing surf life-saving… Can I circle back to that one?

What's your favourite post game meal?

Ooh, that's a good one. Um, this sounds like I'd just be saying this, but genuinely, something, like, a high carb, high protein meal with a bunch of veggies. 

I grew up on a lot of veggies, so I genuinely do like a lot of veggies. But I would also add to that, I do feel like something a little bit fried in there is good. Like a few chips, or something like that. It does, I feel like after you've like just exerted yourself, something like salty and with a bit of oil in it, is good, but I genuinely love, maybe, one of my mum's homemade meals, like a spag bowl. 

And she makes amazing spag bowl with lots of veggies in it, lots of meat, and pasta... or gluten-free pasta, because I'm gluten intolerant. Maybe that’s something not a lot of people outside of rugby would know… I don't know if that's a fun fact! But yeah, that's me.

Thanks Tiarah, for your time. Glad we finally got to do this! I really enjoyed this conversation. All the best to the whole squad against Fiji!

Yes! Thank you so much. This has been awesome, genuinely. An amazing interview.

***Tune in to Stan Sport this Saturday at 11am to watch the Reds take on Fiji, in Suva. (Again, I literally can't wait!)***