![Welcoming his third son into the world spurred Jack Durheim to hark back to his days watching his father take the field. Picture by Zac Lowe. Welcoming his third son into the world spurred Jack Durheim to hark back to his days watching his father take the field. Picture by Zac Lowe.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ijfQKXbsEKgSKGW5xB5NiF/f393f995-1bcb-4bd9-9432-2fe9b3311b7d.jpg/r489_311_4000_2604_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Several months ago, Jack Durheim became a father for the third time.
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The child was named Rowdy - perhaps a fitting nod towards the "madhouse" atmosphere in the Durheim's Moree home at the moment. But the arrival of his newest son, as such events tend to do, got the 31-year-old thinking.
"My older two sons get to come and watch me play now," he said.
"My favourite memories growing up was watching my old man play. I loved that, so hopefully they can have some good memories watching me play footy."
It was during those childhood days watching his father, Jason, run onto the field for the Marist Brothers Rams in Lismore that Durheim picked up the footy bug.
But his old man was not Durheim's only role model.
His uncle, Tony, played 78 games for Gold Coast in the NRL spanning from 1989 to 1998.
Between the two of them, Durheim had ample reason to feel the weight of expectation on his shoulders as he progressed through the Gold Coast Titans program.
The truth, however, was quite the opposite.
"I never felt any pressure," Durheim said.
"When I went away to the Gold Coast and then came back to play for Marist Brothers in Lismore, it was good to try and carry that family name again."
As Durheim recalls, his father was his biggest fan and "always supported me no matter what".
Likewise, he greatly admired his father, and still rues a missed opportunity that was nearly ticked off 14 years ago.
"In 2010, when I was 17 and still playing first grade while I was still in school, my old man was still playing reggies," Durheim said.
![Durheim on the charge during Moree's 62-18 win over Gunnedah in round 12. Picture by Zac Lowe. Durheim on the charge during Moree's 62-18 win over Gunnedah in round 12. Picture by Zac Lowe.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ijfQKXbsEKgSKGW5xB5NiF/e68b5081-e243-46f9-8bcb-350015c921fd.JPG/r0_265_4769_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We almost played together. I wish I had dropped back to reserve grade for a game just to play with him, but it didn't happen."
While they never shared the field together, Jason remained a tireless supporter.
He "used to watch every game without fail" when his son played in Lismore, and has even been sighted in Moree where Durheim has turned out for the Boars this season.
But Durheim's sons might have usurped their grandfather for the title of 'Number One Fans', and he will relish their cheers when he travels with Moree to Wee Waa this weekend for a clash against the Panthers.
And at some point in the future, he hopes he can do the same for them.
"Hopefully they do play, I'll leave that up to them but they love it at the moment," Durheim said.
"They're playing footy every day in the house and the yard, and I can't wait for the day that I can watch them play."