When Kieran Croft was pondering a move to Dungowan a little over three years ago, he was conflicted.
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On one hand, he was looking for a fresh start and the opportunity to buy a house, which he knew would be almost impossible in the extremely competitive Sydney market.
But on the other, it meant moving away from his two kids.
"It was a big decision," Croft said.
"Basically, at the end of the day, if I stayed in Sydney, to buy a house down there was just ridiculous.
"Being able to buy somewhere that I eventually can give back to my kids [was the goal]. Plus they get to come up here and live a bit of a different lifestyle. They definitely enjoy it, but it was a tough decision."
After some contemplation, Croft and his partner eventually relocated to Dungowan in October 2020.
His children, from a previous relationship, now "have a ball" when they come to visit him from Windsor in the Hawkesbury region, where Croft spent most of his life.
The 36-year-old is the son of Terry Croft, the Clarendon-based horse trainer. And while horses were a constant part of his childhood, Croft's true love was always rugby league.
"Me and my brother started playing when we were seven or eight years old," he said.
"I just haven't not played since, pretty much. I think I might have had one or two years off, during COVID, but I've virtually done it my whole life."
The centre discovered early on that he had some talent, and progressed through the Penrith Panthers' age group program, who he represented in SG Ball and Jersey Flegg competition.
He went so far as to play "about half a dozen games" in the NSW Cup during the Windsor Wolves' stint as a feeder club for Penrith in the late 2000s.
But given his strong pedigree in the sport, Croft wasn't sure if he would continue playing upon settling in the North West.
"When I moved up, I didn't know whether I was going to play or not," he said.
"I was going to the [Dungowan] pub and getting to know a few people. Shaun Ferguson was coaching that year, and he gave me a buzz and asked if I was interested in playing.
"I said 'Yeah I'll come down, get to know a few people', got to have a run around, and ended up sticking around."
He would play the better part of one-and-a-half seasons for the Cowboys, before suffering a torn bicep midway through 2022.
As he had recently begun his own drone spraying business, while also working on power lines for Essential Energy, Croft decided that the time had come to hang up the boots in order to protect his income.
"If I have another significant injury, it'll put me on the backburner a bit and make things difficult," he said.
So, instead, he took the opportunity to coach the Cowboys in tandem with Jack Cameron in 2023.
"I just enjoy being involved," Croft said.
"I helped Brett out a bit last year. I ran the bench a little bit, and when he didn't want to coach this year, Jack and I had a chat and I said 'I'm happy to do it with you'."
