![Lochie Collins and his fiancee, Sarah Rayner, attend the Cowboys' season launch at Tamworth Racecourse. Picture by Gareth Gardner Lochie Collins and his fiancee, Sarah Rayner, attend the Cowboys' season launch at Tamworth Racecourse. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/6b98273c-ab76-4b0d-8e61-ef450b2aceb9.jpg/r0_0_7169_4572_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
And there he was, a man synonymous with fevered intensity but who was now emitting all the menace of a Buddhist monk.
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For Lochie Collins, the Dungowan Cowboys' high-voltage forward, there is much to be thankful for.
The 28-year-old was speaking at the Cowboys' season launch at the Tamworth Jockey Club. Nearby was his fiancee, Sarah Rayner. The couple will soon celebrate the birth of their first child.
"Pretty excited," Collins said of impending fatherhood, adding that he and Rayner met through their love of showing cattle - the life-changing encounter occurring at a Dubbo cattle show a few years ago.
"Get the baby out of the way first and then worry about that," he said of the wedding.
Collins is looking forward to the "big responsibilities" that come with parenthood. Having someone that "looks up" to him was also appealing, he added, as he wanted to "try and be a leader to the baby".
![Collins and Rayner share a love for showing cattle. Picture supplied Collins and Rayner share a love for showing cattle. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/6c64bff9-e554-45df-9bd0-b92bda1a18cd.jpg/r0_0_1881_1286_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
And having a partner who shared his lifelong passion for showing cattle was "definitely" a plus, he continued. "She's pretty supportive. It's good fun."
With his 20s coming to an end, Collins has never been happier: "It's a good stage of my life. Pretty pumped about it."
The Cowboys favourite said he had been involved in showing cattle since he could walk. For more than two decades his parents, Frank and Denise, have operated a cattle property on Wallamore Rd.
Collins said he and Rayner had "just branched out" on their own and had "cattle everywhere", but remained involved with his family's farm. Rayner hails from Sheffield, Tasmania.
As soon as you step over that line, you know it's on.
The coming year will be Collins' 10th as a Cowboy. His first year at the club was 2014, when Dungowan came from fifth place to claim the premiership in the now-defunct second division.
He was Dungowan's captain-coach when they were promoted to first grade in 2018.
And he has Ben Tongue, the club's record-holder for games played, in his sights: Tongue is believed to have played 187 games, while Collins has played 112.
The Farrer alumnus works for the Tongue family, who include Ben's brother, former Raiders star Alan Tongue. He said he did "a bit of everything" for the family, who have pastoral and transport concerns.
![Collins takes a hit-up against the Magpies in 2018. Collins takes a hit-up against the Magpies in 2018.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/8d77b489-287d-4f49-9a18-c20dc2c04431.jpg/r0_0_647_677_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Collins' utility value is also effective at the Cowboys. Built like a beer keg, he plays second-row, lock and prop. "I'm a little front-rower, but I love the challenge."
"As soon as you step over that line, you know it's on," he added.
And you should know this: Lochie Collins is no quitter. His child will eventually discover that.
"Never give up," he said. "And don't take sh*t. Just keep moving forward."