All That Glitters: Aidan Toua
when injuries make you realise that your life might be more than JuST sport
When Aidan Toua left his home in Papua New Guinea and landed in Brisbane to start high school, he quickly figured out that the connections forged through sport were of critical importance. And so began his relationship with rugby. What started out as a way to make friends quickly became an opportunity to play professionally. In 2011, Aidan was recruited into the Queensland Reds and also went on to play for the ACT Brumbies and the Japan based Honda Heat. Unfortunately, a string of injuries meant that he sometimes spent more time rehabbing with the physios then with his teammates.
Why does this matter? Because Aidan was forced pretty early on in his career to confront the fact that rugby might not be the only thing in his life. That didn’t mean that he missed being told what to wear and where to be when he retired. And he’s honest about the fact that he couldn’t work out why no was just offering him a job. But when retirement slowly dawned on him, it was almost out of necessity - rugby actually became the thing that needed to end to create space.
Understanding what your motivations are as an athlete is everything. To know what drives you makes the transition into the next stage of life just that little bit easier. Go listen - I think you’ll be able to hear Aidan’s enthusiasm for what comes after sport.
Libby x
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“When I was playing rugby, everything was just given to you on a platter... and then you retire and you’re wondering why no is here to give you the next steps?”
