Wests Tigers hooker Tristan Hope will make his NRL debut at the age of 27 just months after he was poised to quit the game.
Hope left Brisbane, where he'd played Queensland Cup since 2018, at the end of last year on a wing and a prayer to join the Tigers on a train-and-trial deal. There were no guarantees and it was his last chance saloon.
On Tuesday the crafty rake was upgraded to an NRL development list contract and selected for his debut against the Knights on Friday night at Campbelltown in the No.14 jersey.
It all came after he was on the cusp of giving it all away.
"At the back end of last year I had a conversation with my wife, saying that, 'I don't know if I have a lot left in me'," Hope said.
"I love the game but I think it was time to decide what's next. The opportunity arose to come down here and we had a baby on the way as well. She was due in December.
"If she didn't give me the green light I probably wouldn't have taken this opportunity, although obviously it's something that I've wanted for such a long time.
"I've got two kids at home that I have to support. It's a crazy turn of events.
"It felt like (an NRL debut) was so far away for a very long time. I had to chip away. It's hard to put into words."
Hope called his mum with the news on Facetime and she cried. His dad, a fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) worker, wasn't so easy to catch. When he did, it was what Hope expected.
"Pretty typical response from Dad. It was just like a 'Well done mate', a bit of a 'Yeah'. I could feel the nod through the phone," he grinned.
"I know they're very proud. My wife and kids as well. I was pretty excited to get home and tell everyone."
Hope is a realist. He has to be, knowing that champion hooker Api Koroisau will be back next week.
"Whether this is my one moment, I'm just going to run with it and make the most of it," he said.
The night after his selection was confirmed he was content but also determined.
"The head hit the pillow and it was just a sense of, 'I've achieved that now', but also trying to make the most of it in a short amount of time," he said.
"I don't have a 10-year career in front of me, My time could be quite short. So it's now just maximising the time that I do have in the game."
Hope, who scored a try against Parramatta in the trials where he impressed, has family and friends in Brisbane preparing for Cyclone Alfred. They have been scrambling to get to Campbelltown to watch him.
"Whether they are there or not, I know I've got their support," he said.
