![Devon Hamley says making his first grade run-on debut for Pirates on the weekend was "pretty special". Picture by Gareth Gardner Devon Hamley says making his first grade run-on debut for Pirates on the weekend was "pretty special". Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/7ed97cb0-a334-4aa5-85e0-59733b91f5c6.jpg/r0_0_7068_4806_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The seeds for Devon Hamley's return to the rugby field were sown almost as soon as he arrived in Tamworth.
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The Pirates recruit recounted how at his first training session after signing with North Tamworth for the local cricket season, Redbacks and Pirates stalwart, Brendan Rixon, asked him what he did during winter.
"He obviously knew I was South African," Hamley added jokingly.
The deduction being that there was a strong likelihood that he played rugby.
Rixon was right in his assumption, with the game a big part of Hamley's life for as long as he can remember.
Growing up on a farm just outside of Durban, he recalled going to watch the Sharks, which were his local provincial side, play and even one year - when he was "tiny" - "being in tears and upset" when they lost a local final.
He also remembers watching the Springboks play, and how anytime they did, "the whole country turns out and watches".
That patriotism was reinforced to the 27-year-old last year, when he and partner Sophia travelled over to South Africa for a holiday.
By coincidence the Rugby World Cup was on at the same time.
"We were there through the quarter-finals, semi-finals and for the final," Hamley said.
"When those games are on, there's not anything happening on the streets."
"Everyone's either in a pub or at a mate's place having a barbecue and getting around it."
Beating New Zealand 12-11 to secure a record fourth World Cup, he said it was "pretty special" to see "just how much it means to everybody."
![Hamley clings to Gunnedah's Ray Spradbrow. Picture by Gareth Gardner Hamley clings to Gunnedah's Ray Spradbrow. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/e3b21c71-113d-49e6-a468-a138ad11a5eb.jpg/r0_0_4528_3019_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The trip was the first time he'd been able to show Sophia his homeland.
"It was really nice, really special," he said.
"I went back when I was at uni to play cricket and rugby for a year just outside Cape Town, in Stellenbosch.
"We spent a fair bit of time there.
"I got to show her all that sort of stuff, and catch up with some family and mates that are still over there."
"It just gives her a bit of context into my life."
Hamley emigrated to Australia with his family when he was 13, and was living on the Gold Coast before he and Sophia decided to relocate to Tamworth in September last year.
Initially floating it 'as a joke', as he told the Leader in January, after visiting her family earlier in the year, he said they are "loving it" in Tamworth; cold weather and all.
For him a big part of that has been linking up with the Redbacks, and now Pirates.
After rupturing his pec playing on the Gold Coast a few years ago, he had thought his footy days were done.
But then Rixon and a couple of the other Norths boys got in his ear about "how good a bunch of boys Pirates were".
He did give some thought to having a crack at AFL with Sophia joining the Tamworth Swans.
But, once he started training with Pirates that idea was quickly quashed.
Missing the first couple of rounds after tearing his hamstring towards the back end of the cricket season, against Gunnedah last Saturday Hamley was rewarded for his strong performances for reserve grade with his first top grade start.
"To get my run-on debut was pretty special," he said.
Kicking-off the second round with an impressive 46-29 win, on Saturday they are off to Scone.