Rockhampton’s Greatest Strength Isn’t Rugby League. It’s Community.

Every sporting town has its champions.

The players whose names appear in record books. The teams that lift trophies. The moments that live on long after the crowd has gone home.

But the places that leave the biggest mark aren’t remembered because of what happens on the field.

They’re remembered because of the people.

For the first episode of IN SPORT On Tour, we travelled to Rockhampton on Dharumbal Country to sit down with former NRL player Jamie Simpson—a man whose story has evolved far beyond football.

What unfolded wasn’t a conversation about games played, tries scored or career highlights.

Instead, it became a powerful reflection on community, belonging and the responsibility that comes with being given a platform.

“I realised these tours are for everyone—community members, footy players, just everyone,” Jamie said.

“Coming together, being in that team environment and giving back to the community… it just suits.”

Recorded during the Arthur Beetson Foundation’s Future Immortals Tour, the conversation explored something increasingly important in modern sport: what happens after the spotlight fades.

For many athletes, the transition out of professional sport can be difficult. The structure, identity and sense of belonging that once came with the game can disappear almost overnight.

Jamie believes initiatives that reconnect players with community are helping fill that gap.

“Everyone wants that sense of belonging,” he explained.

“That’s what you got when you played footy. Ten years down the track, no one remembers that try. But it’s always good to see the mums and dads and the people who remember you.”

It’s a sentiment that sits at the heart of Rockhampton itself.

Throughout the conversation, Jamie spoke proudly about the city’s ability to bring people together. Whether through the Wabba Carnival, local community organisations or events like the Future Immortals Tour, collaboration has become one of the region’s greatest strengths.

“We’re very community-minded,” he said.

“When people come together, that’s when things happen.”

The annual Wabba Carnival has become one of the strongest examples of that philosophy in action. Bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants, families, volunteers and sporting communities from across Queensland and beyond, the event continues to grow because it belongs to the people it serves.

“It’s by the community, for the community,” Jamie said.

“If we’re going to celebrate our culture, everyone should learn from it at the same time. That’s reconciliation.”

Yet some of the most powerful moments in the episode came when the conversation shifted away from sport altogether.

Mental health, resilience and lived experience remain common themes wherever IN SPORT travels, and Jamie understands why.

Having battled cancer twice, he knows first-hand how important it is for people to hear stories that reflect their own struggles.

“My goal is if I go to a community and meet someone who’s going through that, if I can help one person, then I’ve done my job.”

It’s a reminder that the people we often see as sporting heroes are navigating the same challenges as everyone else.

“We’re just normal people,” Jamie said.

“You might see people on TV playing footy, but you don’t know the battles they’re going through to get on that field.”

As IN SPORT On Tour begins its journey around Australia, these are the stories we’re searching for.

Not the scorelines.

Not the headlines.

But the people, places and communities shaping sport in ways that often go unseen.

Because the most important legacy sport leaves behind isn’t measured in premierships.

It’s measured in connection.

And in Rockhampton, that’s something Jamie Simpson and his community have built in abundance.

The Journey Starts Here

This is just the beginning.

Join us as IN SPORT On Tour travels Australia uncovering the stories that exist beyond the scoreboard—stories of community, culture, resilience and connection.

Episode 1 featuring Jamie Simpson is coming soon, exclusively to the IN SPORT app.