Mark Simon: Farrer alumnus looks to take big step towards NRL dream

It all begins when the 18-year-old Farrer alumnus line ups for the Greater Northern Tigers under-18 side in their Laurie Daley Cup opener against the North Coast Bulldogs in Aberdeen on Saturday.

A first-grade debut, at North Tamworth, also looms large for the front-rower - leaner after a sustained effort to get fitter (he is 92kg and 183cm).

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Everything the well-spoken and polite landscape gardener does is designed to aid his ultimate goal: an NRL career.

Simon will take a big step towards achieving that by getting a new Canterbury Bulldogs deal this year and then relocating to Sydney and making his debut for the club by playing in the SG Ball Cup next season (he is in the final year of a three-year Bulldogs deal.)

His former Farrer First XIII and Tigers teammate, fellow prop Jack Todd, will make his Bulldogs debut in a SG Ball season opener against the Roosters at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday.

Simon, a former NSW Country under-16 player, said: "I'm keen to play some more footy with the Tigers and show what I've got and keep developing my skills and all that stuff. Yeah, keen as."

Another ex-Farrer student, Jack Cameron, used a season of first-grade with North Tamworth to secure a Knights contract.

Simon believes playing first grade for the Bears this year will be key to his rugby league development.

"The whole atmosphere around all the older blokes, you learn a lot from them," he said.

"And you learn to be tough as well ... and that's what helps prepare you for later on down the track if I end up going down south [to Sydney]."

Bears coach Brad McManus, a former Knights signing, likes what he sees in Simon: "He's just a good kid. He's tough. You know, he's fit, he does everything right, he's got a good head on his shoulders."

McManus added: "He's been training pretty hard with the first-grade boys and hasn't taken a backwards step ... so it looks pretty promising for him."