Wigan’s Tyler Dupree reveals his biggest fan, critic and inspiration – his mum!
MUM’S the word for Tyler Dupree and as the Wigan ace has learned, what Jackie says goes.
Whether it is about rugby or buying a house, he turns to her for advice – after being told he could one day end up in prison, it is a good job he listened.
And after seeing domestic violence and hearing racist comments throughout his upbringing, he knows she is the perfect role model.
Dupree may be a world, Super League and Challenge Cup champion but it could easily have gone the other way as life in Halifax was tough.
But he does not have far to look for a guiding word as his route to the top, via Championship Oldham, also makes sure he is not lost in the trappings of success.
“Mum definitely doesn’t sugarcoat things,” Dupree said. “She’s always the voice of reason and I don’t make a decision without running it by her.
“If I’m buying a house and she doesn’t like it, I’m not buying it. I bought one in Halifax without letting her see it and it turned out to be a shambles!
“Now I’m buying one in Wigan, I made sure she made the hour-and-a-half journey to look at it first and make sure it was right.
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“She’s the first person I go to after a game. She tries to sugarcoat it when she’s around people but then she’d ring me and ask what I was doing?
“Her opinion is so important to me. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am. Even when I go back home now, I still get told off!
“If I’ve done something wrong on the pitch, she’d tell me. Off the pitch, she helps keep me accountable. If I don’t do something she agrees with, she lets me know.
“There’s only one person I’m scared of – my mum.
“She told me that how I was as a kid could go one of two ways, prison or getting into an altercation with the wrong kind of person.
“My upbringing keeps me grounded and humble and the route I’ve taken is nothing I’d change. I know what it’s like at the bottom and my time at Oldham really helped me become the person I am.
“I’m eternally grateful to them for taking a chance on someone no-one wanted at the time.”
Dupree is helping lead the Rugby Football League’s Tackle The Tough Stuff campaign, which sees players and officials talk openly about what they have experienced away from the pitch.
More tough stuff will be needed tonight in the derby against St Helens and the 24-year-old admits his on field persona can be different than the caring one off it as he tries to prove he belongs.
He added: “Off the field, I try to put others first. I try to do that on it but that comes with a bit of aggression and the competitive nature.
“I’ve learned to put my aggression into my rugby. That comes from me wanting to do well and trying to prove I deserve to be where I’m at.
“It took a long while for me to believe I belong in a team like this. I’ll never fully believe I deserve it, but I’ll always be working towards that point.
“And tonight is a massive game. Saints are a good team. Being four points clear with a game in hand is really nice but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”
While beating Saints is top of his to do list, arriving in Las Vegas to face Warrington in March with all four trophies also features.
The historic clash is the week after the World Club Challenge, which Matt Peet’s men hope to defend after winning Super League and the League Leaders’ Shield.
With the Challenge Cup already in the bag, he wants more extra baggage – trophies.
Dupree told SunSport: “Going there with every trophy would be massive.”