When Jonus Pearson arrived in Wollongong last November, he knew he had an opportunity.
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With Jason Nightingale retiring and Nene Macdonald moving to North Queensland, Pearson had a shot at locking down a place on the wing for St George Illawarra.
That chance came in round 11, when he was handed his club debut. Now having played six matches in the Red V, Pearson is determined to ensure he makes the No. 2 jersey his own, starting on Friday night against Penrith.
"I knew when I came down here there were going to be some quality players in front of me," Pearson said. "But I've waited my whole life, I don't want to wait anymore, I want to make that spot mine and cement it.
"Last week was probably my worst game for the Dragons, so I've got to step it up this week. This week's going to be the most important game for me."
Pearson's journey to Wollongong is a winding one, from growing up on Hammond Island in the Torres Strait, to boarding at St Brendan's College in Yeppoon, and eventually making his NRL debut for the Broncos in 2016, his career has been unconventional.
Only taking up the sport at the age of 11, his primary passion was basketball and it remained that way even after he moved to the mainland.
Slowly his love for rugby league began to eclipse that of basketball and a year after leaving school he decided to fully commit himself to playing in the top flight.
The hard work paid off when the Broncos recruited him to their under 20s program. Comparisons to former Queensland representative Jharal Yow Yeh quickly followed and he was handed his NRL debut in round 23 of the 2016 season.
"I started playing footy in grade six, we had to travel island to island to play footy because there were not many kids on Hammond Island.
"Then at St Brendan's, I wasn't playing much footy either, I was playing basketball. I wasn't a star, we had Corey Oates and Kurt Mann who were the stars, but going to a rugby league school like St Brendan's, it grows on you.
"My first year out of school I didn't do much, but then at the end of 2013 I said to myself I've got to start playing some good footy. So I went to the gym, 2014 came around and I started playing some good footy for local club Yeppoon Seagulls.
"The coach there was pretty good to me, Jason Green, he called the Broncos and they came to watch me play. They watched a game and I was at the Broncos, just like that."
Having followed such an arduous journey, Pearson readily admits he would not be where he is today if it wasn't for the support of one person. His mother Elizabeth.
When Pearson was struggling while living in Brisbane, it was Elizabeth who sacrificed her career to help her son cope.
And when Pearson made the move to Wollongong, it was Elizabeth, again, who travelled south to ensure her son was able to make the most of his new opportunity.
Pearson recognises how much his mum has sacrificed to help him play in the NRL and he can't thank her enough for everything she has done for him.
The best way to repay her, he feels, is to secure his place within the Dragons starting line up.
"She made a move after my first year at the Broncos, when I finished 20s, she moved down and helped me heaps in my career. She had to sacrifice her job to move down and after that she kept coming down south to Wollongong with me.
"In my first year of 20s, it was tough, I couldn't do it on my own. Mum had to move and help me with everything, cooking, washing, rent, working.
"It was big, she was a big manager up on Hammond Island, she had to sacrifice that job to come down and support me and give me that support. I really needed that, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here."
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