Connor Muhleisen realised a childhood dream when he made his debut for St George Illawarra Dragons last Saturday night.
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There was no fairytale result for Muhleisen with Manly Sea Eagles breaking a 20-year losing drought in Wollongong with a 24-18 victory at WIN Stadium.
While the 22-year-old rake played only 10-minutes off the bench the experience had him dreaming of hopefully continuing his NRL journey with the club he has supported his whole life.
St George Illawarra recruited the Buxton-raised Muhleisen when he was just 14 and playing for the Thirlmere Roosters.
Seven years later Muhleisen made his long-awaited NRL debut but his future at the Dragons remains unclear, with the promising rake coming off contract at the end of the year.
He said his focus was on playing good footy for the rest of season but he'd love to continue his NRL journey at the club which gave him his big break.
"It would mean everything to me. I've been here since I was 14. I've gone for the club since I've been, born pretty much so I'd love to stay. Hopefully we can get something up," Muhleisen said.
"I'm just looking to play good footy for the rest of the season and hopefully the rest will take care of itself."
Muhleisen was an integral member of the Illawarra Steelers 2019 SG Ball premiership-winning team which also featured established Dragons stars Jayden Sullivan, Tyrell Sloan, Talatau Amone, Mat and Max Feagai.
The Thirroul Butchers product has had to wait a bit longer for his shot at the big time but never gave up hope of one-day playing in the NRL.
"Every road is different. I just wanted to make sure I didn't leave any stone unturned and work my backside off to get there eventually," Muhleisen said.
He said while there were nerves ahead of his debut, playing with some familiar faces gave him confidence he could succeed.
"It was unreal. It really was a dream come true. It was everything I dreamt of and more," Muhleisen said of his debut.
"I have been dreaming of that ever since I picked up a footy at four or five. It was everything and more.
"There were definitely a few nerves, I think there were 14 or 15,000 people. Playing at home in front of an awesome crowd like that was unbelievable.
"It was good to have guys I've played with before there.
"I think it gives you a bit of confidence that the boys you came through with are playing NRL already, and they're handling it, sort of gives you a little bit of confidence that you can do the same.
"It's comfortable being with familiar faces."
Support and advice from his father also helped Muhleisen ahead of the clash against the Sea Eagles.
"He has had a massive influence on my football journey," he said.
"Footy is a bit of a rollercoaster at times and he is there during the highs and lows and gives you a bit of advice and a kick up the bum if you need it. He's massive, very close.
"During the week he helped me just keep a lid on the emotions and contain the nerves because I sort of knew deep down what I needed to do.
"I was just trying to get through whatever minutes I got given and make sure that I did my job well, got my contacts right and my service was good. I was just trying to keep it simple in my head and not let anyone down and just do my job."
Having got through his first game Muhleisen is hopeful of keeping his spot in the squad for the rest of the season starting with Sunday's tough clash away to the Parramatta Eels.
"You always aim for the stars and land somewhere around the clouds they say, but for me it's just about trying to play good footy, do my job and hopefully I can nail down that 14 for the rest of the year."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
