London native Chris Anderson signs with Boggabri Kangaroos

Born and raised in London, the lifelong city lad resettled in Boggabri and took up work at the local cotton gin, all so he could play rugby league with the Boggabri Kangaroos.

While great effort was needed to move across hemispheres and pursue the sport he loves, the decision "wasn't too hard to make", Anderson said.

The challenging part was breaking the news to his two younger siblings.

"When it gets to the point where you're telling your brother and sister that you won't see them for six months to a year, that's a little bit more difficult," he said.

"But they're happy that I'm enjoying it and taking the opportunity."

London to Boggabri seems an unlikely route to take. But his connection to the small town began through current Kangaroos coach, Shane Rampling, almost 15 years ago.

"It would have been around 2009 or 2010 when I was doing rugby league development in schools over in England," Rampling said.

"He was at one of the schools I was coaching in, and he ended up coming down to the club and playing in their under 12s and under 14s while I was there."

That first taste of rugby league at age 11 inspired a lifelong passion in Anderson, who went on to attend the Townsend Church of England School, one of the "very few" that played league, Anderson said.

He quickly began progressing through the representative ranks after taking and played in the Youth Origin series between North and South London for several years, was in the London Broncos development pathway, and represented Southeast England in the England development pathway throughout his time at St Mary's University in Twickenham.

There was no specific cause for Anderson's desire to come to Australia, other than to "see another part of the world", and renew his connection to Rampling.

Thankfully, the Kangaroos worked quickly before he left England to help set him up with a job at the local cotton gin, which has accommodated his training and playing schedule to the point where Anderson expects to be available for every game.

After a month in Australia, the 24-year-old is enjoying a "different way of life" in Boggabri.

So much so that, before the season has officially gotten underway, he is "definitely considering" extending his time with the Kangaroos beyond 2023.

This will no doubt please Rampling, who likes what he has seen so far from the young centre.

"He's a good kid from a good family," he said.

"He's very willing to get involved, he's a good listener, and he's a strong kid. It's not going to worry him physically out there [on field] .. he'll bring a lot to us."

Though an extended trip will mean a longer period away from home, Anderson speaks to his siblings and parents every day via WhatsApp.

And, with each passing week, the Kangaroos become more like family.

"Everyone's been really nice and really helpful, so I'm getting used to [being away] pretty quickly," Anderson said.

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