Peter Cronin launches his quest for an NRL contract

When your father and boss is rugby league great Mick Cronin, it's not unusual for other league luminaries to drop in at work for a chat with the old man.Peter Cronin was pulling beers one morning at his father's Gerringong pub a few months ago when St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett strolled through the door.That was the moment the younger Cronin's football career took a significant upturn.A two-try hero for the Gerringong Lions in last year's Group Seven grand final victory over Warilla, the quietly spoken 21-year-old was almost speechless when Bennett invited him to Dragons preseason training.Cronin will take another step towards achieving his lifelong goal of earning an NRL contract when he lines up for the Dragons in Sunday night's Charity Shield match against South Sydney."It was a bit of a shock," Peter said of Bennett's invitation."I thought he was coming to have lunch with Dad and then he asked me."It was a real honour. I was real happy but nervous at the same time."It's a real honour to be picked in the side and get a chance to stake my claim."I'm a bit nervous, but hopefully I can put my best foot forward and make a real go of it."Cronin, whose running style is similar to that of his father, was a standout in the Lions junior ranks before a serious knee injury curtailed his rise.Despite a string of operations over the past few years, his consistently impressive performances for the Lions last year left no doubt he had left his injury problems behind.He said full-time training with St George Illawarra had been an eye-opener."It's a massive step up. Going from training twice a week to six times a week, it's a big change," the strapping 185cm centre said."I've really enjoyed it. It's a lot of hard work and at times I've thought I'm out of my depth, but I've stuck to it and hopefully it pays off."I just loved playing for Gerringong and was never worried about money or anything, but I'm real happy to get the chance now and I want to make a real go of it."Cronin snr, who starred with Parramatta in the 1970s and 80s and represented NSW and Australia, is intensely proud of his sons' achievements - both Peter and his other son Patrick, a skilful five-eighth who kicked the winning field goal in the Group Seven grand final win over Warilla.But Mick has always politely rejected media requests to pose for photos with his sons, concerned that the family name might be a millstone around their necks.Asked for a comment yesterday, he said: "I give Pete a lot of credit. He's been under the knife four or five times and he's persevered and worked hard getting over the injuries. I wish him all the best and hope the luck goes his way."Mick will be in the crowd at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, the first time he will have seen a Charity Shield in person.Peter said he and his brother have never felt burdened to emulate their father's achievements."I've never really worried about being a shadow of Dad. I've just always been proud of him and what he achieved," he said."I've only seen tapes of him play. I was born three years after he retired. He's happy about it and hopes it all goes well for me."[The media interest is] a bit of a shock. I haven't even played a game and there's all this publicity, but it comes down to my dad playing for Parramatta."Hopefully I can try and carry on the name and be as good as him, but if I can be half as good as him I'd be happy."Cronin knows there are no guarantees he will be signed by the Dragons for the coming season."I'm not sure yet. After the trials they said they'll make their decision as to whether they want to keep me or not," he said."I've always followed the Eels because of dad, but that doesn't worry me now."To get the opportunity to play in the NRL, you'd jump at any club who gave you an offer."