Former Canberra Raiders captain Alan Tongue has embarked on a new career as a real estate agent with LJ Hooker Country Canberra, working alongside his former teammate turned mentor, Troy Thompson.
Widely respected for his hard work, leadership and dedication to rugby league, Mr Tongue, a veteran of 220 first-grade games, has already secured his first listings with the brand.
“I’m applying the same mentality to my work that I had back when I was playing footy,” Mr Tongue said.
“It is about focusing on getting one per cent better every day.
“When I walk out of the office in the evening, I want to know that I am just a little bit better than yesterday.
“To do that, I have to keep up my energy, work hard with the team and utilise the resources and experts around me.”
It was Thompson, now a director of LJ Hooker Country Canberra, who suggested the career change. He was seeking someone who knew the New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory regional markets to run their country division and help build their expanding team.
Mr Tongue, who grew up in a rural town just outside Tamworth and now lives in the small village of Sutton in the Yass Valley Shire with his family, was the perfect fit.
“When Alan’s name came up in discussion, I just rang him straight away and we had a few meetings with him and his wife Katie, and it just went from there,” Mr Thompson said.
“He is probably the most genuine person I have ever met, both in football and generally in life. We played a lot of footy together, and he is from a great family.
“Having captained the Canberra Raiders and spending a lot of time with the NRL, he has a great work ethic. He has always led from the front, and I think he will do very well in real estate.”
Head of Network Australia, Chris Keating, welcomed Tongue to the LJ Hooker family and congratulated him on launching his new career with the network.
“LJ Hooker Country Canberra is an exciting and successful expansion of our Gungahlin office resonating in growing townships such as Bungendore, Yass and Murrumbateman,” Mr Keating said.
“Alan, who was known for his tireless tackling in rugby league, will apply that same determination he showed in his football career to property sales.
“He is well-loved in Canberra, but what he brings to the job is a genuine passion for regional living and the lifestyle it offers.”
Since retiring from rugby league at the end of the 2011 season, Mr Tongue has worked in sports media and as an NRL ambassador.
More recently, he was delivering a primary prevention domestic violence program while studying for his real estate licence at night.
The one-time Dally M Lock of the Year believes that sport is a great icebreaker when meeting potential sellers and buyers.
It’s also helping to create a positive vibe among the team at LJ Hooker Country Canberra.
“If we have been on the phone all day and we need a bit of a spark, then we will throw the footy around, and it just lifts the energy and the mood straight away,” Mr Tongue said.
“It has been exciting getting those early listings, but this isn’t a short-term dive in and out for me, this is something I want to make sure that I get right, and I am trying to absorb as much as possible.”
Mr Tongue will continue to work with the Canberra Raiders one day a week as the Leadership and Culture Manager while building his real estate career.
