Injury may have ruled him out of representative selection this weekend, but the commitment of Sydney Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce in fulfilling the wish of a young fan has earned him selection of a different kind, as One Community Good Guy of the Month for April.
Pearce was today named One Community Good Guy of the Month in recognition of his efforts in granting the ‘wish’ of Roosters devotee Mathew Phillips, who is recovering from a life-threatening illness.
Mathew’s wish was to “hang out” with Pearce, his favourite NRL player, and he was overwhelmed when Pearce instead invited him to spend a day with the entire team.
Going ‘above and beyond’, Pearce then organised for some of the players to sign a pair of boots for Mathew, which he presented to his number one fan at the Roosters home game against the Raiders.
“As soon as I heard about Mathew, I wanted to get involved and help make his wish a reality,” said Pearce.
“He’s a huge fan of the Roosters and I think he really enjoyed spending the day with us and even joining in some of our training drills.
“I certainly wasn’t looking to be nominated as a Good Guy but I’m really pleased to have won this month’s award, as I think it recognises the work of all players in the community each week.”
The One Community Good Guy of the Month award also acknowledges Pearce’s recent visits to the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick and Mission Australia, as part of an initiative to support Sydney’s homeless.
“Mitchell is one of the game’s younger players but already he has shown a passion and commitment for helping the community,” NRL Director of Community Relations, Trish Crews, said.
Rugby League’s One Community Good Guy of the Month award acknowledges and recognises the inspiring and widespread commitment of NRL players to the community throughout the season.
As the Good Guy of the Month, Pearce will receive one night’s accommodation including breakfast for two courtesy of NRL sponsor Holiday Inn.
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