Since Ricky Stuart took over as head coach of the Canberra Raiders in 2014, the club has recruited and developed some of the best emerging young talent in rugby league.
This has been illustrated perfectly over the past couple of seasons, with the likes of Ethan Strange, Manaia Waitere, Jed Stuart, Owen Pattie, Jordan Martin, Noah Martin and others all getting a glimpse of first-grade minutes.
As many of these players continually fight for a regular spot in the line-up and others, such as Jake Clydsdale and Myles Martin, are awaiting their debuts, a new breed of prospects are slowly making a name for themselves through the lower-grade competitions for the club's pathways sides.
One of these players is front-rower Jesse Milin.
Starting his journey with the Raiders in 2023, the young forward has slowly progressed through the club's ranks in the junior representative levels and is coming off his best season to date, which saw him score an impressive eight tries in this year's SG Ball Cup campaign.
Looking up to Moses Leota from the Panthers, the die-hard Raiders fan opened up on his rugby league journey and how influential his family has been to his success in the 13-man code.
"I go for the Raiders and wearing the jersey has been a dream since I was little. I love playing with the Raiders," Milin told Zero Tackle.
"I used to play three sports - basketball, union and league - but I had to stop and went all-in on rugby league.
"I preferred rugby league over union, but union was fun. Obviously, I'm here in league now, and that's the goal (to play in the NRL).
Set to play in the club's Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup team in the 2026 season, Milin hopes that strong performances in the competition could see him elevated to reserve-grade in the coming years.
However, like many sports athletes, he wouldn't be where he is now without the help of his family.
"There are the biggest thing in my football journey."
