A Super Rugby debut would make thousands of kilometres and early morning wakeups worth it for Waratahs hooker Andrew Tuala.
Tuala and his family live in Newcastle and the 28-year-old was commuting to Sydney for preseason training in the hope of earning a Super Rugby chance.
That meant leaving home at 5am on training days to make sure he wasn’t late for sessions.
“I'd get up at 5 o’clock to leave probably like five past, I'd pretty much get all my stuff packed the night before and then roll out of bed straight in the car because if I leave any later, I'm late, pretty much late to training,” he said.
“The drive definitely got to me but I've got that mindset to keep going. I want to pursue my dream and got to do what I do, got to do.
“If I'm willing two hours, I'm willing to drive two hours just to get on the paddock.”
Once he began to shape as a serious Super Rugby contender, he had to stay in Sydney even on some days off, with too much driving putting him at risk of soft tissue injuries.
“If I get at least two days off then I can go home then I'll come back the night before (training) but if I get a day off I'll have to stay because there's no time to go back,” he said.
It’s not easy for Tuala to wave goodbye to his three young girls but it's that bond that keeps him motivated to get in the car every day.
“I get a bit emotional when I know i'm going to come down and when they're waving, crying at the window,” he said.
“I'm doing it for a reason but at the same time it gets really emotional when I leave.
“Sometimes I get a bit teary when I'm driving to training but I'm here to try and go further and to do it for myself and for my family.”
Tuala’s commitment has been noticed by his teammates, too, with backrower Jack Dempsey heaping praise on the rake on Friday.
“He's been in all preseason, he's just come back to us to fill that void in at hooker,” he said.
“He's a real tough customer - he'll put his body on the line, he's a bit in a way like Tolu, low contact and tackle an he's continuing to build on his lineout game and his scrum game which is really impressive for a young bloke.
“The character stands out for me. Driving from Newcastle everyday, leaving his kids at home just to get to training , he's a real dedicated character and a real professional.”
Tuala’s teary goodbyes could make way for celebrations on Saturday night after he was named in the 23 to face the Crusaders in the wake of Tatafu Polota-Nau’s return to England.
It’s an opportunity he still can’t quite process.
“If I end up getting on, when I get on, I will be over the moon, I’m just excited to run on the field and at the same time, I'm there to a job,” he said.
Tuala has been on the Super Rugby fringes before, training with the Rebels last year but his opportunities have all come late in his career after he nearly opted to call it quits and focus on his family.
This stint with the Waratahs, he admits, is his last real Super Rugby chance and he wants to make the most of it.
“I was going to hang the boots up,” he said.
“I'm not that young anymore and I'm like I've got to start doing stuff with my life and then obviously getting a call from the Rebels that pretty much gave me a boost, I was like you know what I think I've still got it in me to keep going.
“When I finished there I was pretty pumped that the Waratahs gave me a chance and I'm pretty blessed with these opportunities that I've got.
“Pretty much this year, next year is make or break for me.”
The Waratahs take on the Crusaders at the SCG on Saturday March 23, kicking off at 7:45pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Buy tickets here.
