There's no substitute for hard work.
It sounds like the slogan for a fitness clothing brand but it's the truth.
Connor Watson and his father Mark know that better than anyone.
“Dad had an accident when I was six,” Watson said.
“He was a roofer, and basically he fell through a three-story roof in a warehouse.
“He was on crutches for a year, a walking stick for the rest of it and hasn’t been able to physically help me that much.”
Despite his obvious physical restraints, Mark Watson never stopped helping his son prepare for a career in rugby league.
“He was always there pushing me and telling me what to do even though he couldn’t physically show me,” Watson said.
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“He and Mum put a lot of time in for me to be where I am, they sacrificed a lot.”
As a rugby league-mad child, he was never the biggest, strongest or the fastest, but he was determined from an early age.
Watson, who grew up in Dubbo before moving to Avoca on the Central Coast as an adolescent, has the game in his blood.
Thanks to the encouragement and support of his father, Watson has made it all the way to the NRL.
"I'd be running every arvo and dad would be driving in the car next to me," Watson explained.
"I used to be scared of running by myself when I was 11 or 12.
"As a kid you hear all these stories, so he would drive in the car next to me and time me. I'd do a 2k time trial."
His father played Country football in Dubbo with some of his earliest memories running up and down the sidelines with a footy in hand while his dad played.
However, Avoca will always be Watson’s home.
“Avoca was such a great place to grow up,” he said.
“For kids looking to do what they love for a living it’s a great place to grow up.
“I just remember from primary school, running home and grabbing the footy and there would be 20 of my mates down at the oval, because all anyone wanted to do was play NRL.”
