"True Blues" Andrew Ryan, Ruan Sims, Brett Kimmorley and Luke Bailey put their love of rugby league aside recently when they spoke to a group of Ulladulla High students about an important topic - road safety.
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The four well-known rugby league identities are part of the NSW Rugby League's 2023 Regional Roadshow.
They and other NSW rugby league "True Blues" like Willie Mason, Matt Cooper, Mark O'Meley, Steve Menzies, Tim Brasher, Ben Elias, Jamie Soward, Mark Hughes and Beau Scott have been visiting NSW schools, like Ulladulla High, to talk about road safety.
Andrew Ryan said they wanted to tell the group about the importance of looking after themselves and their passengers when they are driving.
He said the message they wanted to get across to the group was about making smart decisions.
"I felt like we did," he said when asked if he thought the message they were promoting got across to the students.
Ruan Simms, being a firefighter as well as a rugby league identity, was able to get another aspect of the message out to the group.
While Ryan and Luke Bailey, talked about their own experiences as young drivers on regional roads.
Given that all four have played rugby league at an elite level, they also talked to the students about following and clinging onto their dreams.
Footy training clinics, at some of the roadshow venues are held, but Ryan said they did not have time to throw a footy around as the Ulladulla High visit was organised at short notice.
Meanwhile, since 2017, NSW Rugby League's Regional Roadshow campaign has already helped deliver positive messages about road safety to more than 4000 teenagers at 40 regional areas around NSW.
"The NSWRL is proud to partner with Transport for NSW to deliver the Regional Roadshow around NSW as road tragedies can have a devastating effect on local communities," NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden said.
"We have had a number of True Blues devote their time to help deliver the campaign since it first started six years ago, while our Westpac NSW Blues stars are more than happy to be involved with the messaging to help reinforce its importance."
The latest campaign, which is done in conjunction with Transport for NSW's The Knock-on Effect initiative, started in October.
It features a video with Westpac NSW Blues skipper James Tedesco, and teammates Josh Addo-Carr and Cameron Murray, encouraging road users to make smart choices.
