Set to make his NRL debut for the Dragons this week, Toby Couchman has revealed how he found he would be playing and his inspirations.
The Wollongong forward made headways last season for the Dragons pathways team in the Jersey Flegg Cup. His great season ended with Couchman earning a New South Wales jersey for the Under 19s State of Origin.
Having missed the entire SG Ball Cup in 2021 due to a should injury, he averaged 130 run metres and 31 tackles in the Jersey Flegg.
Speaking to Dragons TV, Couchman revealed how he originally found out he would be making his debut and how excited he is to play first grade in the Dragons jersey.
"(I'm) making my debut this week verse Titans so pretty excited," he said.
"Hook [Anthony Griffin] messaged me saying come up (I) need to speak to you. Then I was waiting a while, so I got a bit nervous waiting. Then called me in (and) straight away got to the point and said oh you're playing this week. So I couldn't believe it."
"Just really excited to make my debut this week, (it) hasn't really sunk in yet."
When asked what he did first after finding out he would be debuting, Couchman said he immediately spoke to his father.
"I called my dad straight away. He's been a big part of my footy journey, ever since I was young. I called him and went down and told Ryan [brother] in the shed"
"He sort of taught me a lot of things along the way and I'm very grateful for it."
Dragons fans should keep a close eye on Couchman for the future. Destined for greatness, the youngster shows he can perform at the highest level. In the U19s State of Origin, he ran 114 metres with 44 of those being post-contact metres and made 30 tackles in only 40 minutes.