Brisbane Broncos' newest debutant, Ben Talty, has opened up about his inspirational rugby league journey, which saw him turn his dream into a reality last Friday night by running out onto the NRL field for the very first time.
Starting the year with the North Sydney Bears, Talty's impressive NSW Cup campaign saw him earn a train-and-trial contract with the Broncos for the next two seasons before the June 30 deadline.
While it seemed like he was brought in to add to the club's forward depth, the 26-year-old was slotted straight into the line-up within three weeks by Michael Maguire.
Previously spending time in the Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm systems, Talty admitted to Zero Tackle that he thought his dream had expired and was worried he would never get the opportunity to showcase his talents in the NRL.
Luckily, the forward was wrong and appeared against the Canterbury Bulldogs last round, in which he played a key role in their comeback off the interchange bench.
"It's the best feeling ever," Talty told Zero Tackle after his first-ever NRL match.
"I've been chipping away for a while now and it's just awesome to get the opportunity...it's the best moment of my life.
"Ever since I started playing footy, this is all I ever wanted to do.
"It was something that I always worried about and a dream that I thought would never come true, which worried me a lot but you create your own luck sometimes and sometimes you just got to work hard."
Having achieved his dream, Talty reflected on the importance of family, especially his parents, who used to have to drive him two hours to Newcastle when he was part of the club's junior pathways program.
"I grew up just outside of Muswellbrook on a horse stud and I was signed with the Newcastle Knights as a young fella so it was a four-hour round trip on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday," Talty said.
"My mum and dad used to have to trek me out there while I was still at school, so I can't thank them enough for everything they've done for me. They've helped pave this."
Having named his parents as his biggest inspirations and mentors, Talty also mentioned a few other individuals who were key in his rugby league journey.
"I've had a lot of coaches and mentors along the way," he added.
"Kieran Dempsey was an awesome person I had and he set me up with work training and he was honest with me.
"Madge (as well for) giving me this opportunity along with a lot of coaches I had; Mark O'Meley, Andrew Ryan, Adam O'Brien and Craig Bellamy.
"Those sorts of guys helped change my game and everything. I can't thank them enough for the journey."
