Yaw Kiti Glymin reckons it all has to do with the day he was born.

"It means a boy born on a Thursday," the Illawarra Cutters winger says in reference to his name Yaw. "In Ghana that's how we go for names."

If he was born a day later then this story would be about a Fifi, Kofi or Yoofi. Instead it's about Yaw Kiti, the second part of his name is a reference to the chief of his father's tribe.

Even though he was born in Australia to a Ghanaian father and an Australian mother, it would be easy to assume Glymin's first instinct would be to gravitate towards the round ball code for which his African heritage is so renowned.

"I actually played soccer before rugby league when I was about eight, but I enjoyed rugby league a lot more, which is why I started playing it permanently," Glymin said.

"I've still got a lot of relatives [in Ghana] as my dad came from a big family. He has eight siblings.

"We went back in 2004 for six weeks. It was good as we went to South Africa first and then to Ghana before going back to South Africa."

Explaining to his extended family the dream of one day playing at rugby league's top level may have been surreal.

But attaining that level is exactly the goal Glymin has set for himself as he sponges as much knowledge and experience he can from the Dragons' international wingers Brett Morris and Jason Nightingale.

"They're two of the best - if not the best - in the world so training with them and even just being around them at team functions is great," Glymin said.

"They've been great since they got back from overseas playing in the World Cup. I didn't know B-Moz too well, but I've had a friendship with Jase before I started NRL training [in summer].

"That [making his NRL debut] is one of my main goals, but at the moment I'm just concentrating at a NSW Cup level and when I get the crack, I'll be ready."

With Nightingale expected to be sidelined for a month due to a knee injury, Glymin will, perhaps, be watched a little more closely by the Dragons' coaching staff.

They've already nurtured him through the Harold Matthews, SG Ball and National Youth Competition system before elevating him to NSW Cup duties this year.

And he's been a big part of the early-season success of the Illawarra Cutters, who face the Bulldogs at WIN Stadium on Saturday.