It's tongue-in-cheek, but also more than half true. Even when he didn't make the call, others made the call for him throughout the career that's had it's share of setbacks.

It's what made his NRL debut for Melbourne last week - as he nears his 28th birthday - so special. It's something that could easily go unnoticed.

Amid a pandemic, off-field scandals and rabid fans calling for coaches to be sacked, there's never a shortage of bad news stories that can be written.

Stories about a bench forward returning a stat sheet of five minutes, four carries for 40 metres typically go unwritten; even if three of them came on the one set.

Truth is the full story is a long and winding one. Long like the eight-hour drive parents Mick and Pauleen made to watch it - and that was just to get on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne.

It's a good thing they brought the spray jacket because they had to play the role of designated ball carriers just to make it into the ground given the stringent NRL 'bubble' measures in place.

It's something that rusted on fans of the game can look to whenever their faith is tested by players who can't do something as simple as stay home - or off TickTok.

Your columnist first clapped eyes on the big back-rower at Rex Jackson Oval in Tigers garb in 2014. He was the best on the park that day.

I asked a few questions, as you do on the beat, and people said you wouldn't hear of a player with worse luck.

This was a guy who underwent a knee and shoulder reconstruction before making his NYC debut, ending an under 20s career that amounted to two games.

Three games along the the comeback trail with Shellharbour a year later - bang - the ACL in his other knee popped. There was another surgery.

"The knees and the shoulders were done before I was 21," he said.

"It can be a pretty hard game on your body and I just happened to get a massive whack of it. When I did my second knee after three games with Shellharbour I wasn't really planning on playing again.

"I just started training again just to get fit and rehab my knee. When I did get fit Sean O'Connor told me to come and have a run with the Cutters, just to make the numbers.

"I trained there and decided I still wanted to do it and kept playing just for the love of it. If I didn't really want to I would've stopped.

"I guess if you can get away from an NRL system get a bit of breathing space it can be a bit more relaxing and the game becomes enjoyable again."

He had a bit more joy from there, winning the 2015 Illawarra League premiership under Ryan Powell at the Burgh.

He grabbed his second premiership in as many years with the Illawarra Cutters under Jason Demteriou a year later. Again, all for love.

"I was very lucky to play under Ryan Powell, great coach and really helped me discover my love of footy again," he said.

"They were there to have a good time, they trained hard and played hard. Jason Demetriou was great to play for as well and those blokes made footy enjoyable and something you look forward to doing.

"I've played under coaches where I wasn't too happy to turn up. Its tough when you don't enjoy the time but when you enjoy what you're doing the guys you have around you it's not hard to turn up."

The Cutters season earned a fulltime deal with the Dragons but, with a year and an ankle reconstruction in the books, he figured didn't have a future in Wollongong.

Having joined the family business of teaching, he was happy teaching history at Caloundra State High and being "just a Q Cup player" for Sunshine Coat Falcons on weekends.

The Falcons just happen to be Melbourne's feeder team and, after being named best forward two years running, he got signed to a development deal.

Even then he admits he wasn't really expecting to make an NRL debut - not at 27. No kid ever dreams of doing so in an empty stadium but that's what he did in the Storm's 22-8 win over the Raiders last Friday.

"Once you start getting older you probably think it's not going to happen," he said.

"When I got named in the 21 Craig [Bellamy] came up and told me they were still deciding but I was in the frame then I got a call on the Wednesday night.

"I was carrying my phone around all day and keeping it next to my head so I didn't miss a phone call. Craig called and told me I was getting a debut.

"It was a bit surreal. The boys here always say Melbourne don't just give jumpers out for no reason.

"To have someone like Craig Bellamy give me my first means a lot. If a guy like and Cameron Smith thinks I'm up to it than I must be up to it."

The debut proved brief but four carries in five minutes ain't bad, though he won't be making a habit of it should he see more NRL action.

"I hope to get out there and play a little bit more than five minutes next time but hopefully I never take three carries in a set ever again," Lewis said.

"It was only on there five minutes and I was pretty tired at the end of it. I'll be in a bit of trouble if I keep doing that."

It's a helluva journey, more twists and turns than Mick and Pauleen took on 2600-kilometre journey from Ashford to Melbourne and back again to see their son's debut.

It brings it back to Kickoff's initial query: why didn't he quit?

"To answer the question, I guess I just never stopped enjoying it. If I didn't love it I would've stopped."

Amen to that. In a time of professionalism, big bucks, pay disputes, off-field scandals, players dogging contracts, coaches being hired, fired and re-hired... it's good to know there are people in the NRL who still genuinely play our game for the love of it.

It make sit a lot easier for the rest of us watch it for the same reason.