By Mitch Jennings
Fitzgibbon, Leikvoll, Timmins, Bailey… if it sounds like an Illawarra honour roll, it’s because it is. It’s also an indication of just how rich a bloodline runs through the Steelers class of 2023.
Among the four grades that take to WIN Stadium for Sunday’s ‘day of steel’ will be a second generation of local products carrying a legacy of 275 first grade games for the Steelers, 455 for St George Illawarra, and more than a thousand in the NRL.
The Harold Matthews squad alone features Aaymon Fitzgibbon, son of current Sharks coach and 18-Test Kangaroo Craig; Hudson Bailey, son of Test and Origin rep Luke Bailey; and Zane Timmins, nephew of Blues legend Shaun Timmins.
Callum Leikvoll, son of 115-game NRL veteran Chris Leikvoll, will line up as part of Russ Aitken’s SG Ball side.
Cult figure’s daughter to don scarlet jersey
Perhaps most likely to prick up the ears of the old Steelers die-hards is a NSW Women’s Premiership team sheet featuring the name ‘Piccinelli’.
Hard-nosed back-rower Neil Piccinelli remains a cult figure among the Steelers faithful on the back of his 145 games for the Steelers between 1989-1996.
It’s only fitting that his daughter Sharna will feature in the Steelers’ first foray into the elite women’s competition.
While she wasn’t yet born when her father last donned the scarlet and white, she says it will still be a special occasion when she pulls the colours on for the first time.
“It does mean a lot for me,” she told Game On.
“I had a couple of options with other clubs but I just thought ‘nup, it’s got to be the Steelers’. Obviously Dad played for them and to throw on that jersey will probably bring a tear to my eye.
“No one really knows who I am but someone will ask ‘what’s your name?’ I’ll say ‘Sharna Piccinelli’ and they’ll ask ‘do you know Neil Piccinelli?’ I’ll say ‘oh yeah, he’s my dad’ and it’s always the same thing: ‘he was a bloody good footballer’.
“He doesn’t toot his own horn, but he still loves the old games that come on Foxtel. We love watching them too, so I’ll be proud to pull [the jersey] on and he’ll be just as proud.
“He was a bit longer and ganglier than I am but his strong suit was his defence and that’s how I feel I play, my defence is my best [attribute].
“He can probably throw in a few tips for me here and there and he actually still offers me his old boots.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as he was but I’ll give it a try.”
Read more>> Russ Haylock’s Round One preview
Sharna was a staple of an all-conquering Helensburgh side that claimed six Illawarra Women’s League premierships before making the jump to the NSW Premiership in 2021.
She spent last season with South Sydney but jumped at the chance to join a long mooted Steelers push into the elite level.
“The Burgh was the next best thing to Illawarra, but for this to happen is massive for all the girls down here,” she said.
“The younger girls coming out of Tarsha Gale [Cup] really didn’t have anywhere to go in the Illawarra, it’s so important for this to happen.”
Next gen on debut
The Steelers inaugural list is virtually a Jillaroos honour roll, but it will be the broader production line on show in Sunday’s season-opener, with Keeley Davis, Kezie Apps and Emma Tonegato rested having not long returned to training following a post-World Cup break.
(Pictured Left) Sharna Piccinelli with dad, and Steelers great, Neil Piccinelli.
Fellow Jillaroos Taliah Fuimaono and Shakiah Tungai are also in camp with the Indigenous All-Stars, leaving them unavailable for round one.
Piccinelli feels the opening-round showdown with South Sydney is the perfect opportunity for the next gen to make their presence felt.
“I think a lot of the other girls can really show what they’ve got without having those marquee players so it’s a good opportunity,” she said.
“You can see how keen the group is to get out there on the field and put together everything we’ve been training for.
“We’re up against the Rabbitohs, who I played for last year, and the first game’s always a hard game, but we’ll get out there and have a crack and see what happens.”
Mum’s the word for Zali
The names are a welcome walk down memory lane for the Wollongong faithful, but there’s some currency to other family connections, with Zali Yeo (pictured below) set to line up on the wing for the Steelers against Souths on Sunday.
The younger sister of Penrith skipper Isaah Yeo has made the shift to Wollongong just two years after telling some white lies to take up the tackle form of the game two years ago.
“I’ve played a lot of sports so mum and dad used to just drop me off and never really ask what I was doing,” she said.
“I got away with it for a little bit but obviously rego came about and I had to register. Mum wasn’t too stoked at the start but Dad came around, so that was good.
“It was actually Dad who saw the [Steelers recruitment] post on Facebook and it just went from there.
“I was travelling back and forth [last year] during the HSC and year 12 and mum and Dad were really good with that. I’ve moved down here [fulltime] now for football opportunities.
“I only started playing football two years ago so this’ll be my third season and to have all the experience and professionalism around me at training is a whole other level to what I’m used to so it’s really exciting.”
Mitch Jennings article courtesy Illawarra Mercury. Pictures by Adam McLean