It mightn't have quite turned out as he'd hoped but Brad Male still reflects on his Sydney adventure as a great experience and hasn't ruled out giving it another crack down there.
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But for now the 21-year-old is enjoying his life in Tamworth and his footy with Pirates.
If not for COVID though he might well on Saturday be pulling on the royal blue and white of Eastwood, rather than lining up against Narrabri for their first meeting since last year's preliminary final loss.
Offered an opportunity with the Sydney club after graduating from Farrer in 2019, Male's time there was severely impacted by the pandemic.
His first year the competition didn't get underway until midway through the year. Then the following season was cancelled only a few months in as the second wave swept through Sydney.
Deciding to return home to Tamworth, he linked up with Pirates for the 2022 season.
Initially this year undecided whether he would stick around or give it another try in Sydney, he ended up staying and has started at half-back in all of their games so far this season.
He said it was "good" to get "the nod" for the starting spot after last year being hampered by a torn hamstring he picked up in the first game of the season and playing more of a bench role until the latter part of the season.
A personal trainer at REVFIT, Male said from about Year 8 or 9 he knew that was what he wanted to do.
"Growing up I was always a littler kid and I started going to the gym quite young just to put a bit of size on and then I just kind of fell in love with it," he said.
"When I came back (from Sydney), I came in and saw [REVFIT director/head coach Adam Brook, who he had done work experience with] to do a workout, and he mentioned it to me to start my cert 3 and 4, and so that's what I did."
At the moment focused on that, and Pirates, while he doesn't have any regrets about coming back, there is a sense of unfinished business in Sydney. He doesn't feel like he really got a good shot at it.
"It was good footy," Male said.
He added that it would be "good to have a full year down there". But for now he's just playing all that by ear.
The opportunity to go down to Sydney did come out of the blue a bit. At school playing a bit of league and union, but probably leaning more towards league, Male said he hadn't really thought about pursuing anything with rugby.
Then one of his dad's old mates from Eastwood got in contact, and asked whether he, and another Farrer school-mate Kyle Johnson, would be interested in playing with them.
Pirates will host the Blue Boars, and be looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Gunnedah last round.
Elsewhere Inverell are at home to Walcha and Quirindi welcome Moree.
