This month the Dolphins NRL team swapped their footy boots for steel capped boots when they paid a visit to Anglo American’s Dawson Mine. They also took time out of their busy schedules to visit local schools and put the skills of the junior rugby league Biloela Panthers players to the test.

On May 26, Dolphins players toured Dawson Mine, getting up close to draglines and shovels, taking a ride along on dump trucks and meeting the crews for a Q&A session where they were quizzed about leadership, superstitions and training routines.

Dawson Mine HR Manager Ben Leis said the entire workforce was buzzing over the visit.

“We’re excited to host the Dolphins on site. When you have a look at the industry that we are in, it’s all about connections, trust, mateship, discipline, and there’s certainly been some discussions with these elite players about the similarities that they also have with what we do.

“The players have taken the time to introduce themselves; they’ve gotten up into the trucks alongside our operators, just talking to them about what their normal day looks like and what they get to do on a regular basis.

“Seeing the players come off the equipment, just the awe they have in the size of the equipment and what our people do. Sometimes we can forget what we do in this industry and what we do for our community. Having the players here and having them experience that was quite motivating for people today.”

Dolphins player Lewis Symonds said getting a chance to go in the dump truck was an unreal experience.

“Just being able to see what it really is like to work in the mines and seeing the trucks in action and how much bigger they are, it’s just insane.

“Mining could be an option post career as I could definitely see myself doing that.”

The Dolphins also visited Moura, Banana and Biloela State Schools where they talked to students about wellbeing and resilience and attended a footy day at the Biloela Junior Rugby Club.