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'Miss her a lot': Chee Kam's Women in League Round tribute to pregnant wife
Author - Troy Whittaker
NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp - Wed 11 Aug 2021, 04:01 PM
Michael Chee Kam will dedicate Women in League Round to his pregnant wife Alex, who couldn't travel to Queensland to be with the Wests Tigers utility.
With their first child due in October, Alex remained in Sydney when the NRL made a snap decision to relocate all teams north in July.
Many players were reunited with their partners and kids last week after the families completed a two-week quarantine period. Chee Kam, however, is relying on video calls to stay connected with Alex.
"[Women in League Round] is massive for me. I've got a wife back home and my mum, they're a big part of my life," said Chee Kam, who was picked at centre for Saturday's clash with the Cowboys.
"My wife's pregnant at the moment, she's like 32 weeks. I miss her a lot and it'll be good to represent them this week.
"It's been pretty hard having her there [in Sydney] ... She didn't want to at first because her sister's pretty messy, but I told her to get her sister in to help her out so she's not alone, take her mind off it a bit.
"It's been alright. Just FaceTime every night."
The tight-knit Tigers team have kept Chee Kam's spirits high.
"Everyone here, the boys, the coaching staff, we just get around each other. Everyone's got their own story and everyone's doing it tough somehow," the 29-year-old said on Wednesday morning.
"I think we just rally around each other and keep the good vibes going around. I think it's brought us closer, being away all together."
Second-rower Luciano Leilua also paid tribute to the key women in his life ahead of the round 22 celebration.
"My partner, my daughter and also my mum. All the mothers out there - we know how hard they work, especially us players. For me, after a loss I just get angry at everything," Leilua said.
"Them holding it down for us is really good. Shout-out to my partner and also my daughter and my mum."
After beating the Bulldogs last week, the Tigers must topple North Queensland in Townsville to stay in the finals hunt. They are two wins behind the Titans, Raiders and Knights, who are tied on 20 points.
"I definitely think we can make it," Leilua said.
"Obviously, it's a bit hard, we have to rely on other teams losing and that. That's not ideal, but I think we've just got to keep playing footy and try and finish the season on a high.
"We just talk about what team we're facing next and what job we need to get done. Finals is just down the road there, we've just got to try and focus on each game."
In a boost for the Tigers, star Cowboys forward Jason Taumalolo has been ruled out with a broken hand. Not that Leilua had heard.
"I didn't even know he wasn't playing. Sorry, I haven't seen the team list. Is he not playing?" he asked with genuine surprise.
"Oh, bugger. Oh well, it's unfortunate news for him. A player like that, he's a big loss for the [North Queensland] team.
"I guess I'm going to have to go downstairs and have a look at that because I haven't seen the team list."
Meanwhile, prop Alex Twal said the players had been watching themselves in Fox League's 'Tales from Tiger Town' documentary.
"We've been watching it. A few of the boys are getting in their rooms, having a little look. It's been pretty good, I think, showcasing to our fans what sort of goes on behind the scenes," Twal said.
"It's definitely been entertaining. It's sort of like reality TV at the end of the day ... It is pretty close to the mark in terms of how passionate we are about winning, especially Madge [coach Michael Maguire]."
Author - Troy Whittaker
NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp - Wed 11 Aug 2021, 04:01 PM
Michael Chee Kam will dedicate Women in League Round to his pregnant wife Alex, who couldn't travel to Queensland to be with the Wests Tigers utility.
With their first child due in October, Alex remained in Sydney when the NRL made a snap decision to relocate all teams north in July.
Many players were reunited with their partners and kids last week after the families completed a two-week quarantine period. Chee Kam, however, is relying on video calls to stay connected with Alex.
"[Women in League Round] is massive for me. I've got a wife back home and my mum, they're a big part of my life," said Chee Kam, who was picked at centre for Saturday's clash with the Cowboys.
"My wife's pregnant at the moment, she's like 32 weeks. I miss her a lot and it'll be good to represent them this week.
"It's been pretty hard having her there [in Sydney] ... She didn't want to at first because her sister's pretty messy, but I told her to get her sister in to help her out so she's not alone, take her mind off it a bit.
"It's been alright. Just FaceTime every night."
The tight-knit Tigers team have kept Chee Kam's spirits high.
"Everyone here, the boys, the coaching staff, we just get around each other. Everyone's got their own story and everyone's doing it tough somehow," the 29-year-old said on Wednesday morning.
"I think we just rally around each other and keep the good vibes going around. I think it's brought us closer, being away all together."
Second-rower Luciano Leilua also paid tribute to the key women in his life ahead of the round 22 celebration.
"My partner, my daughter and also my mum. All the mothers out there - we know how hard they work, especially us players. For me, after a loss I just get angry at everything," Leilua said.
"Them holding it down for us is really good. Shout-out to my partner and also my daughter and my mum."
After beating the Bulldogs last week, the Tigers must topple North Queensland in Townsville to stay in the finals hunt. They are two wins behind the Titans, Raiders and Knights, who are tied on 20 points.
"I definitely think we can make it," Leilua said.
"Obviously, it's a bit hard, we have to rely on other teams losing and that. That's not ideal, but I think we've just got to keep playing footy and try and finish the season on a high.
"We just talk about what team we're facing next and what job we need to get done. Finals is just down the road there, we've just got to try and focus on each game."
In a boost for the Tigers, star Cowboys forward Jason Taumalolo has been ruled out with a broken hand. Not that Leilua had heard.
"I didn't even know he wasn't playing. Sorry, I haven't seen the team list. Is he not playing?" he asked with genuine surprise.
"Oh, bugger. Oh well, it's unfortunate news for him. A player like that, he's a big loss for the [North Queensland] team.
"I guess I'm going to have to go downstairs and have a look at that because I haven't seen the team list."
Meanwhile, prop Alex Twal said the players had been watching themselves in Fox League's 'Tales from Tiger Town' documentary.
"We've been watching it. A few of the boys are getting in their rooms, having a little look. It's been pretty good, I think, showcasing to our fans what sort of goes on behind the scenes," Twal said.
"It's definitely been entertaining. It's sort of like reality TV at the end of the day ... It is pretty close to the mark in terms of how passionate we are about winning, especially Madge [coach Michael Maguire]."
