Adrian Graham: Tamworth teen kicking goals at work and North Tamworth Bears

When the 19-year-old's friend was working on Peel St last year, he was inadvertently a billboard advertising Graham's amateur, but eye-catching, barber skills.

The friend was spotted by the owner and an employee from the 2340 Barber Shop, who wanted to know which one of their competitor's had cut his hair. He set them straight.

"And they approached me and said 'come in and do some work experience, and we'll see what you've got,'" Graham said.

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The teen, who was in year 12 at Oxley High at the time, did the work experience.

"They said 'come back and see us after you finish school', so I did," he said of his employer.

"I just started mucking around, cutting some mates' hair ... Just picked it up along the way, and thought, wow, this is pretty good; this might even lead to a career," he also said.

"And, yeah, here we are: I've got an apprenticeship."

Graham was back at work on Monday, a day after one the best experiences of his young life.

On Sunday, on a temperate autumn afternoon, the fullback made his first-grade debut when his Bears played Manilla in a season opener at Jack Woolaston Oval.

It was a memorable debut: Norths won 54-14 and Graham solved the Bears' goalkicking woes in the match when, as the third goalkicker used, he booted five conversions.

"I felt I went all right," he said of his overall performance in the match.

In the previous game on Sunday, Graham's father, Jay, led North Tamworth's reserve-grade side to victory. He is their captain-coach.

Last season, father and son played together for the first time as members of Kootingal-Moonbi's reserve-grade side.

Graham had followed former NRL star Nathan Blacklock to the Roosters when the latter was appointed Kooty's under-18 coach in 2021. Blacklock had coached him in Norths' under-18 outfit the previous season.

"I was gonna go to Norths, and he [Blacklock] come and approached me and a mate, Rhys Davis, and he said 'I'd like youse to come out and play under me,'" Graham said.

Norths are happy to have him back.

"I think Adrian's a great young man," Bears coach Paul Boyce said. "He's got a very good work ethic. He's obviously got a great relationship with his father, Jay."

The young No 1 had had "a solid start" to his first-grade tenure, Boyce added.

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