NRL: NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster applauds Kane Evans ‘coming out’

NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster is confident his club is well equipped to support players struggling in their personal lives.

This week, in an emotional interview Australia’s Channel 9, former Warriors forward Kane Evans revealed he had played his entire career hiding his true sexuality - he is gay - from teammates and opponents.

He admitted he had three goals in life - to play NRL, buy his parents a house and then commit suicide.

“I was living in denial from a young age, I know that now,” Evans said. “I know that I’m gay, but I went down every other avenue to build up these walls to be someone to escape who I am.

“This is like my worst nightmare, but I know if I surrender, it’s like the start of a new life. I’ve been fighting a war within since I was about 15 years old and it’s not sustainable.”

Evans, now 34, spent one tumultuous season with the Warriors, based in Australia during Covid, often falling foul of the club and the NRL.

He was fined for displaying an obscenity on his wrist tape, he was sin-binned twice in the same game against Cronulla Sharks and was one of three Warriors players sin-binned for fighting in the regular season finale against Gold Coast Titans, copping a five-game suspension as a result.

“Going to the Warriors, I probably lost myself even more,” Evans admitted in his interview. “I was still chasing my tail, trying to find out who I am as a person and as a player, and took my aggression to another level.

“I ended up getting cut a year early from my contract. I wanted to jump in and physically protect people, even when it’s not my fight.”

After an unsuccessful stint in England and a failed café business, Evans turned increasingly to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain, and became homeless. He credited Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson and Rugby League Players Association transition manager Joe Galuvao for reaching out and dragging him back from the edge.

Webster arrived at the Warriors two years later and any of his players will tell you his most redeeming quality is his concern for them as people first.

One of his most frequent defences against criticism of anyone is you never know what they’re dealing with in their lives.

That was clearly the case with Evans.

“I’m really proud of players wanting to be themselves and being honest about it, and finding a platform to do so,” Webster said.

“I’m sure it inspires anyone in the same situation that doesn’t feel comfortable to come out and be who they want to be, it gives them the courage to do so.

“I hope it gives him a lot of clarity and puts his mind at ease, and I hope it inspires anyone in sport or society to come out and be themselves.”

Webster has previously served as Warriors assistant, before crossing the Tasman for stints at Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers, but has never struck a situation like Evans’ in his travels.

“I haven’t personally, but I make it clear to my players that, regardless, they will always get to be themselves, we will always care about them and they don’t have to hide anything from our team,” he said.

“I haven’t encountered anyone coming to me and saying, ‘I’m gay’ or anything like that, but if I did, I’d make it clear to them they should feel comfortable to do so.

“Unfortunately, it’s tricky to guarantee that in society - that’s the big thing we can grow and get better at. It is tricky, but if we have these conversations, we can make it easier for people.”

These days, NRL clubs all have welfare managers, charged with supporting players and coaches through real-life issues around their rugby league careers. At the Warriors, that department is headed by former player Jerry Seuseu.

“We’ve been voted the best welfare department in the NRL at different times in the last four years,” Webster said. “We put a real package together for the players that we wrap around them.

“We have an open-door policy where they can come and talk to any of us as coaches. If they want a private conversation, we’ve got someone there for them - it could be a marriage counsellor, it could be anything.

“Then there’s the education side - how can I get you a job when you leave the game? How can I make sure you have a career, because this doesn’t last long?

“I think we’re leaders in that space, but we can always get better.”

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