Good weather, good mates and the laid-back southeast Queensland lifestyle have helped Dolphins centre Jake Averillo turn around his fortunes at Redcliffe.
The 23-year-old struggled to settle into life in Brisbane's northern suburbs after moving from Canterbury on a three-year deal at the beginning of the season.
Overlooked by coach Wayne Bennett for the season opener, Averillo was made to fight for his place in the Dolphins squad after excelling as the Bulldogs' top try-scorer in 2023.
But after scoring a try for Norths Devils in an impressive Queensland Cup performance, Averillo was elevated to the starting line-up in place of Tesi Niu, and he has remained there since.
"I think I'm getting settled in now. It took a while there at the start, but I'm finding my place in this team now, and I'm really enjoying it," Averillo said.
This season is the Bankstown junior's first outside of Sydney.
Averillo has previously opened up on the difficulties in moving away from his family, but a warm reception from his new teammates has helped him acclimatise.
"I think that's the most important part. I've come to a new team, and obviously off the field is just as good as on the field, so it sort of reflects that," he said.
"(The lifestyle is) a bit cruisier, a lot warmer than Sydney. I went back to Sydney a couple of weeks ago and it was freezing as. I wanted to come back up here, it's too good up here. It's pretty good for winter so, yeah, I don't mind it."
The speedster fits perfectly into the Bennett centre mould. His raw pace has helped him amass six tries this season and cement his place on the right edge alongside Jamayne Isaako.
"I think I'm a lot more comfortable now," Averillo said.
"I just needed to find a bit of consistency there, and obviously that was going to take time. Everything was sort of new, but I'm glad I am where I am now."
