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By Jack Brady (NRL.com)

Mundane tasks like cooking and cleaning could be the impetus behind Dragons recruit Siliva Havili's breakout season as he looks to kick-start his young career.

Having left his parents behind in Auckland for the first time to take up residence in Wollongong, Havili has moved out of his comfort zone in the hope of taking the next step in his NRL career.

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Famous for making his Kiwis Test debut after playing just three first-grade games for the Warriors, the 22-year-old hooker knew his time at the club was limited once the Warriors signed New Zealand's incumbent co-captain Issac Luke for the 2016 season. 

"That was pretty much it for me when Issac signed. I had two years left on my contract but when I saw such a quality player in Issac had signed I knew it would make life a lot tougher," Havili told NRL.com.

"I knew my chances of playing more games in the NRL were slashed, especially with the new interchange laws. It was best for me to check my options and here I am at the Dragons."

For Havili, the changes extend beyond the training paddock. After moving to Australia the youngster is cooking and cleaning for himself for the first time, admitting he "can't just look down at his mess now" with his parents in another country.

"It was really emotional moving away from home but to finally be able to do things on my own, it has been challenging, but I'm up for it. It's a matter now of putting ownership on myself," Havili said.

"Even when you come from those tough days of training, you know you have to make dinner, clean up, and I like that extra responsibility.

"It was hard to leave the Warriors, but it's been good to leave the comfort zone too especially at a young age. It means I can hopefully make something of my career. 

"Every player out there wants to represent their country, that's not unusual, and in my case I want to do it again, but first I have to make a first-grade team and that comes down to hard work at training.

"I'm under no illusions though, 'Reiny' (Dragons' first choice hooker Mitch Rein) is a real good player and I look forward to learning a lot off him."

Havili is thankful fellow former Warrior Sebastine Ikahihifo has come along for the ride at St George Illawarra too.

"It's good to have someone I'm familiar with like Sebby and it's nice to be able to carry on with our careers together," he said. 

"We have played a fair bit together in the '20s and NSW Cup. When I heard he might be coming here I definitely urged him to join me at the Dragons."

This Article First Featured On NRL.com

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St George Illawarra Dragons respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, where our games are played, our programs are conducted and in the communities we support.

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