Tyler Randell could still be playing in the Super League if he wished.
Even the NRL, the opportunity is there but he doesn’t want to live in Sydney.
He can’t keep moving his family around.
More importantly, he can’t keep his children away from their grandparents.
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That’s why at the age of 27 he made the selfless decision to put his family first at the expense of his professional career.
He’s playing locally in the Newcastle competition in season 2020 and has settled into fulltime work.
“My family are from Newcastle and our family home is here,” Randell told the Our Town Our Team podcast.
“I’ve got three young kids, seven, three and seven months.
“I sat down with the wife and said; ‘I’m going to have to make a decision that’s got nothing to do with rugby league. We want to move back to Newcastle and have family. My in-laws are around the corner, mum is two hours away. To have all of that for the kids where we had no family whatsoever.
“The UK was great, but I couldn’t stand the kids say goodbye to their grandparents anymore. Nothing to do with rugby league, it was a family decision.”
Having made his NRL debut for the Knights in 2014, Randall spent four seasons in the top grade before moving abroad.
He co-captained the Club in the 2016 Auckland Nines campaign but the club was changing direction.
Knowing his time in the red and blue was coming to an end, the utility had an opportunity to leave the Knights before the 2017 season had kicked off.
“The Club had made a couple of signings which pointed out to me that I wasn’t going to be kept any further without even having a conversion, I could see that by the players they were signing were similar to myself,” he said.
“At the time I started to think maybe I should see what else I could do.
“In the end I never wanted to go anywhere but sometimes you have to be realistic with what’s happening and take it on the chin.
“I still think I was playing pretty good footy but the club was going in a different direction.
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“… Rick Stone just got the Huddersfield job so that popped up but in the NRL there wasn’t too much happening. It was more Super League interest.”
Mid-way through 2017 Randell made the call to join Wakefield which is where he spent the next two and a half seasons in the Super League.
“I stayed for half a year and I signed with Wakefield for the next two years and the coach rang me and said do you want to come over now,” Randell explained.
“I packed my bags and within a couple of weeks I made my Super League debut.”
Playing in 42 games, it was an experience he cherishes.
“It was something I always wanted to do,” he said.
“I remember watching Super League as a kid early in the morning.
“To be over there making my debut, it was a great time.”
