RUGBY LEAGUE
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Given his vast collection of body art, Dylan Farrell is well qualified to enter the Dragons's burgeoning ink club alongside the likes of Josh Dugan and Joel Thompson.
But it's the "South Coast" tattooed on his left hip that tells the story behind his move to St George Illawarra.
The ink is a homage to the region where he spent his junior days playing for Culburra and Farrell says it was a desire to bring his young family home that prompted his signing with the Dragons.
"Coming off contract [with Souths] I thought it was a really good time to come back home," he said.
"It was sad to leave Souths - I'd been there for six years - but it was more just a move for the family.
"The parents are happy that I'm a bit closer to home and I've got a lot of family in Wollongong, so every home game they're going to have to expect me to ask for a few tickets.
"I'll be getting a bus each game, I'd say."
Family is always at the forefront of Farrell's decision making after he became a father before his NRL debut in 2010.
"I had my daughter when I was 18 and could have gone either way," he said.
"She kept me grounded and is still probably the best thing that ever happened to me. That's done really good things for my footy."
Farrell experienced an up-and-down career, at times disrupted by injury, after he burst on the scene with a hat-trick on debut against the Tigers in 2010.
He scored two more hat-tricks within the next year, including at WIN Stadium against the Dragons in 2011, but the down-to-earth 22-year-old never let the flying start to his career delude him as to how hard it is to play week-in, week-out.
"I didn't take on a whole lot of expectation out of that. I definitely didn't get too comfortable or complacent," he said.
"If you expect to score three tries every week, you're kidding yourself - it's not going to happen.
"I never expected too much; I've tried to keep a pretty level head. I know this is a really tough competition.
"If you want to succeed, you have to work harder and harder every year."
Farrell spent the last four seasons playing alongside the likes of Greg Inglis, Nathan Merritt, John Sutton and Adam Reynolds in one of the NRL's most potent backlines.
He says he'll be in equal company when he dons the Red V next year.
"The Dragons have a great backline," he said.
"There's two international wingers [Josh Morris and Jason Nightingale] and Josh Dugan at fullback, who's a freak, so they've got no troubles in the backs.
"There's other players that can bring the X-factor; I just want to do my job."
Farrell shifted between wing and centres, with brief stints at five-eighth and fullback in 65 games for the Rabbitohs but is eyeing the centres with his new club.
"I'd like to play in the centres," he said.
"I played most of the 20s there and I started out in first grade in the centres, so I just feel more comfortable there.
"Either way it doesn't bother me if they need me to play wing, fullback or anywhere else. I just love to be on the field."