A deep sadness bubbled beneath the surface as Barry Murray stared down the mammoth task. On his wrist strapping were the initials of his cousin, Robert Murray, who died of a heart attack last week.
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Standing across from the slightly built Tamworth farm worker, one of the largely anonymous members of society, stood a hulk who seemingly had the rugby league world at his feet.
That was the compelling subplot that emerged when Murray's Werris Creek Magpies confronted Ethan Parry's Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters on a balmy autumn day at the Creek on Saturday afternoon.
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Perhaps Parry, 23. had no idea who Murray was before the match.
But Murray, 22, no doubt knew who Parry was: he scored a sensational wingers try in his NRL debut as a 20-year-old playing for Parramatta against Manly at Brookvale Oval in 2019.
Parry - nurtured by Parramatta after they signed him as a 15-year-old out of Tamworth - played the following week against the Warriors. That was his last NRL game.
In the third minute of Saturday's match at Werris Creek, Parry - 191cm, 100-plus kilograms and playing right centre - rose high over Murray - a diminutive figure on the left wing - and swallowed a cross-field kick to score.
Soon after that, Murray sped past Parry down the left flank. It was not his only incisive run of the match
In the second half, Parry made a half-break - only to be caught from behind by Murray. Their duel was a highlight of an intense clash that the Roosters won 30-28 after a try at the death.
"It was tough, it was tough," Murray said of marking Parry. "He's a big unit; he's a big boy to tackle. But I just keep him on his toes."
It was tough, it was tough. He's a big unit; he's a big boy to tackle.
- Barry Murray
"It was a good duel," he continued, adding: "I just play my footy. I just try to compete with myself."
Murray hails from Collarenebri in north western NSW, but spent a large chuck of his life in Wollongong. His cousin, Robert, was from Collarenebri.
"It's part of life," an emotional Murray said of his cousin's sudden death.
After Murray was named man of the match in Werris Creek's win over Manilla last month, Magpies coach Cody Tickle said the flyer had "trained the house down" in the preseason and was "very quick, very elusive".
"I feel like I can get better," Murray said of his footy. "Put a few more kilos on, and just keep working on the fitness and turning up to training and working on my game."
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Mark Bode
I’m passionate about writing stories that resonate with people. And I’m genuinely interested in the people I interview; I want to know about them and present their stories in a meaningful way.
I’m passionate about writing stories that resonate with people. And I’m genuinely interested in the people I interview; I want to know about them and present their stories in a meaningful way.
