The smile said it all and so did the try that sparked it. And what they said was this: Ethan Parry is at home in the NRL.
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The former Oxley High student had a dream start to his NRL debut, scoring a screamer for Parramatta early in their clash against Manly at a sun-bathed Brookvale Oval on Sunday.
In the 11th minute, the 20-year-old showed great pace and touch to track down a Dylan Brown grubber and score.
The 104 kilogram, 195 centimetre flyer managed to get around Sea Eagles winger Jorge Taufua and get a hand to the ball, grounding it just before it went dead.
Rugby league great Peter Sterling, commenting for Nine, said Parry was "rewarded for desire and persistence".
He also said Parry's debut was a big occasion for his family. Watching on at the ground were his father Troy, his step-mother Aleshia and his siblings, Cody, Ty, Jenarli and Lacey.
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Co-commentator James Bracey remarked that Parry had played for NSW under-16, under-18 and under-20 sides. "This occasion has been a long time coming and he's making the most of it," he said.
The Eels signed Parry at age 15. He has long been touted as a future NRL star.
As Parry waited for the restart after his try, his face was etched with a big smile.
Five years after he was scouted at the country championships at Port Macquarie, he was exactly where he wanted to be - with many more NRL highlight-reel moments set to come, surely.
The try was the best moment of the former Australian Schoolboy's highly anticipated debut, which also included him showing poise under the high ball.
Unfortunately, however, he missed a tackle on Manly centre Brad Parker in the 32nd minute, after he rushed in off the wing to try and defuse a Sea Eagles offensive drive close to the Eels' tryline. Parker bumped him off and scampered over to score.
Sterling described the miss as a "pretty awkward effort".
Parry's try made it 6-6 after Mitchell Moses's conversion. But then it was all Manly - the final score 36-24.
While waiting to speak to his son after the match, Troy Parry said the boom prospect "looked right at home".
"He held his own and did well with his try ... couldn't ask for it to go better for him," Troy said.
He said his family and Parry's friends at the ground went "crazy" after his try. The family had planned a post-match dinner celebration.
In a pre-match interview, Eels coach Brad Arthur described Parry as a "big body".
"He competes really hard, he's not short on confidence and if he gets something wrong at some stage today [Sunday], he'll bounce back and he'll compete hard for us for the full 80 [minutes]. It's gonna be a good occasion for him."
Parry had been playing centre for the Eels' feeder club, the Wentworthville Magpies, in the Canterbury Cup.
Last month the Leader reported that Parramatta had signed his younger brother Cody to a four-year deal.
Cody, 15, is in year nine at Farrer. And like his big brother, he is a speedy centre. Cody is considered a future first grader, the Daily Telegraph said.
