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Aaron Zimmerle’s sporting journey has taken him from Australia to Las Vegas this week, wearing Canadian colours.
The Canadian-born, Australia-based Zimmerle will coach the Canada Wolverines in a rugby league international against the USA Hawks on Friday in Sin City.
The game is part of the festivities surrounding the kickoff of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) season on U.S. soil Saturday. The Manley Sea Eagles take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs before the Sydney Roosters face the Brisbane Broncos at Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
The Canadian men last played in November 2022, defeating the U.S. 22-10 in Tampa, Fla. Due to the pandemic, that was their first action since a 2019 tour of Serbia.
The Canadian contingent includes a plumber, welder, personal trainer, wildlife researcher, systems integration consultant, IT specialist, swing-stage rigger, tool-and-die maker, two truck drivers, four teachers and five university/college students.
They all come with their own story.
“When you start out as a child playing the sport, you don’t really see where the journey can take you,” Zimmerle said in an interview. “We’ve discussed that. That’s been part of our process of our connecting with each other, is the players sharing their our own journeys. And in all of the stories, the highs and the lows, the game of rugby league and the people that they’ve met through it are the things that help inspire them to keep going with every other aspect of their life.
“I feel like it’s a special privilege knowing that a game, because it’s a courageous game, can help shape young men. And when people tell you that story and they’re brave enough to share it with you, it’s quite special.”
Rugby league is the 13-player version of the code, as opposed to 15-player rugby union. It is played primarily in Australia, England and New Zealand.
In Canada, there are domestic leagues in Ontario and B.C. with a small but dedicated group looking to grow the sport.
Zimmerle held a five-day Wolverines training camp last July in Vancouver, with an East-West game serving to help selection for the Vegas roster.
