St George Illawarra fullback Steven Marsters' complex sporting pedigree has helped position him in the Dragons' full-time training squad for at least the next two seasons.
Other than his cousin, Wests Tigers young gun Esan, Marsters has plenty of knowledge to rely on in the form of his extended family.
Marsters' mum was a gun tennis player while his dad kept it in the family with his rugby league prowess. The 18-year-old's nan was a sprinter, and his grandad was a long distance runner.
As Marsters' describes it, his family's sporting history "is a bit all over the place".
Thankfully his parents opted for rugby league, first at the Mt Wellington Warriors before they made the move over to Australia.
"I had no clue about rugby league until my dad introduced it to me. He opened up my eyes to a different world and I've loved it ever since," Marsters said.
"I was five when I first started and have only had a year off since. I thank my mum and dad for that. They have got me to where I am so I’m very thankful for that."
Cousin Esan remains another inspiration for Marsters following the Tiger's first grade debuting season which saw him rack up 13 NRL games.
"Esan's has taught me everything which is good because I'm obviously following him," Marsters said.
"I’ve seen him play NRL and my dream is to follow in his footsteps. But obviously I still have a long way [to go]."
Almost halfway through his first NRL pre-season, Marsters admitted he's had to keep grounded while he's running around with seasoned first graders.
He's also grateful to have fellow Under-20s players Zac Lomax, Tristan Sailor and Jackson Ford partake in their first pre-season too.
"It's been unreal," Marsters said. "It's always been a dream to play with these fellas. They have always been my idols and I have always looked up to them.
"They have been good to me at training and have pushed me through all the hard times. Jack De Belin, Tariq Sim and Patrick Herbert have motivated me to be my best.
"Coming up with Tristin and Zac has been pretty cool too," he added. "They are all good players and being alongside them has been good. I’m pretty happy where I am at."
