Cronulla cult figure Toby Rudolf has ‘no real interest’ in tracking down his biological father or becoming a father himself, declaring he’s too selfish to have kids and regards them as a ‘drain of energy’.
Rudolf, one of the NRL’s bigger and more colourful personalities, will be a key forward for the Sharks in their preliminary final against the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park on Friday night.
The 29-year-old has always shot straight from the hip and has openly discussed his fluid sexuality and willingness to challenge norms.
Now, ahead of his biggest match of the season so far, Rudolf revealed that he has no desire to be a father because he is ‘too selfish’.
‘Nah, I don’t think I want kids to be honest,’ he told News Corp.
‘Everyone always says to me that will change but, right now, I can’t see myself having children. I’m too selfish. I want to live my life, see the world and do stuff.
Cronulla’s Toby Rudolf says he has no desire to become a parent, calling himself too selfish for family life
Rudolf admits he grew up “a bit different,” dealing with bullying but refusing to ever change his true character
Raised in South Maroubra housing commission, Rudolf credits his mother Susan (pictured together) for shaping his strong, independent outlook
‘Parents are the most selfless people on the planet and I’m not that selfless yet. I want to live my life first and have a red-hot crack at it.
‘Right now, you have to be selfish to play this sport. You have to be to get your best performance. After football, I still won’t be ready to give it up.
‘I also saw how my brother and I were to our mum as kids and that looked like f…ing hell.
‘I look at what friends outside of football are going through with exes, partners and kids. It looks like a drain of energy in life and I don’t want that.
‘Maybe the fact I haven’t been surrounded by a relationship in my life, maybe that has something to do with it too. You can be happy without having someone near.’
Rudolf was raised by his mum Susan in a South Maroubra housing commission, with no father in the picture after being conceived via sperm donation.
He says he was “a bit different” growing up, copped some bullying, and credits his mum’s let-him-be approach for shaping his personality alongside a close bond with his older brother Josh.
A DNA test later revealed his heritage, roughly half Ashkenazi Jewish with German and some Italian ancestry, a discovery prompted by a former girlfriend.
The 29-year-old admits friendships and football matter more to him than raising kids, and says he sees family life as energy-draining and restrictive
The Sharks forward says parenting looks like ‘f…ing hell’ after witnessing his own mother struggle with two young boys
But Rudolf said he had no desire to meet his biological father.
‘No, I couldn’t give a s***,’ he said.
‘I would want my mum and brother to be there. You always see those shows where a bloke wants to go meet his dad and how nervous he is to meet him.
‘I’m like, ‘No’. I’ve got this far without him and have no real interest in knowing who he is. I’m just happy with how life is.
‘There is no feeling of loss, inadequacy or that something is missing. Life is great.’
Rudolf said he was grateful to his mother for being open-minded and letting him develop his own personality while growing up.
‘Mum has let me be who I wanted to be. If I had a dad it might be like, ‘This is the way it’s meant to be and this is the way society should tell you to be’,’ he said.
‘Growing up with an older brother, we hated each other, so it was really just me and mum. My brother and I are best friends now. I love him more than anyone.
Rudolf says his life is complete without a father figure, insisting he never felt anything was missing growing up
‘I had a street crew of friends in the housing commission at South Maroubra from really different creeds and backgrounds.
‘Mum let me be me with no hindrance. She just let me grow into this person and for a lot of people that was hard to deal with. As a young kid, I wasn’t badly bullied.
‘But everyone gets bullied when they’re a bit different, which I was.
‘But I have never changed, never wavered. My roommate now was part of the bullying group when I was 13 and now we’re best mates. I had a minimal life growing up.
‘I only have mum and my brother out there, there aren’t many others. To say I’m different, definitely, that’s fair to say.’
The Sharks enter in red-hot form, winning nine of their last 10 matches, and boast the competition’s best recent defensive record.
Melbourne regain key stars Jahrome Hughes (arm), Ryan Papenhuyzen (concussion) and Shawn Blore (larynx).
