Beginning his rugby league journey over a decade ago, Wests Tigers debutant Tristan Hope will fulfil a lifelong dream on Friday night as he runs out onto the NRL field for the very first time.
As Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva, Royce Hunt, Jack Bird, Jeral Skelton and Terrell May all run out in front of the Tigers faithful in their orange and black jerseys, lingering in the background is one of the greatest stories ahead of Round 1 of the 2025 NRL season.
Idolising Darren Lockyer, Tristan Hope spent the majority of his career in the QLD Cup competition after playing for the Brisbane Broncos in the now-defunct Under-20s competition and it seemed that his dream of playing in the NRL had come to a close.
However, a move from the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls to the Brisbane Tigers in 2023 would revitalise his career and lay the groundwork for his debut on Friday night against the Newcastle Knights.
After strong back-to-back seasons in the QLD Cup, the 27-year-old would earn a train and trial contract with the Wests Tigers for this season, which was later upgraded to a development deal after impressing club officials during the NRL Pre-Season Challenge.
Days away from his first match in the NRL, Hope spoke to Zero Tackleย about his journey and revealed how close he came to hanging up the boots on his rugby league dream he has had since he was a child.
"An opportunity arose through a train and trial (to join the Tigers). I had a conversation with my wife and at the time we were expecting our second baby in December," Hope toldย Zero Tackle.
"I was kind of at a point where I was thinking do I do it? do I not? and when she gave me the green light, it was all guns blazing.
"I thought I'd give it one last crack and (am) fortunate enough that the stars aligned.
"At the backend of last season I spoke to my wife and said that I might only have a year or two left in me.
"I love it. Love the game and always said that I'd play until the wheels are falling off, but with two young kids at home, I kinda though that it was time to think about what's next.
"There's two class hookers here in Api and Tallyn and I knew where I sit in amongst that as well. I'm also a realist, and I knew that it was going to take a lot of hard work and also a lot of luck.
"Sometimes you need a lot of luck to get that crack but I did the work and I put myself in a position to get that and I'm going to take it with both hands and run with it on Friday night."
A member of the U18s QLD Maroons side back in the day, Hope enters Friday with seven seasons and 69 matches of experience in the QLD Cup.
More recently, he scored against the Parramatta Eels in the club's second pre-season match and will look to continue his form as he plays second-fiddle to Tallyn Da Silve.
Recounting his journey, he couldn't thank his family and in particular his wife for being there for him and helping him achieve his dream.
He also thanked the club for their support during the end of last year where they allowed him to return to Brisbane for the birth of his second child, despite being in the middle of his train and trial deal with the club.
"My family have been massive," he added.
"We were expecting our second baby in December so to say to her [my wife], I'm going to Sydney in November while you're eight months pregnant with a two-year-old was a bit of a hard sell there.
"She was nothing but supportive of me and also the club for giving me that time to go back to Brisbane in December, no questions asked.
"I can't thank the club enough too for what they did for me over that time because it's a really special time, although it was during my train and trial weeks."
"You don't get family time back and you don't get having a baby back either, so I'm grateful for Benji and the club for giving me that chance to go back."
As he prepares to line up for the Tigers, who will be without Jahream Bula (injury) and Apisai Koroisau (suspension), he will play alongside star recruit Jarome Luai.
Surprisingly, the last time the two shared the field was in 2017 in an Under-20s match between the Brisbane Broncos and Penrith Panthers.
While Luai couldn't remember that outing nearly a decade ago, the debutant has vivid memories of that match, which saw him lose 44-12.
"I clearly remember playing that Penrith side because they were stacked with all the names not just Luai," the 27-year-old stated.
"As you can imagine, the result didn't go out way that day because I remember it was hot and I remember [Nathan] Cleary kicked us in the corners and Jarome was stepping around and doing Jarome Luai things.
"I'm so excited to play with him. He's just a ball fo energy and he's got that aura and he's that's guy!"
Good luck to him !
One thing is for sure – he won’t be one of those “entitled” players, who think they can do whatever they want. He’ll buckle down and give 100% and no messing around.