A childhood spent watching his father toil on his family dairy farm has taught unsung Newcastle lock Mat Croker the meaning of hard work.
Croker is not Newcastle’s biggest, fastest or flashiest player, but his thirst for hard yakka has been the bedrock of the Knights’ rise from wooden spooners to Sunday’s grand final against the Sydney Roosters.
The 27-year-old had always been a bit part player for the Knights, and it was only when coach Justin Holbrook arrived in Newcastle over the off-season that Croker was handed the surety of being the team’s starting lock.
The forward has since taken his game to new heights, playing every match of the Knights’ regular season and finals campaign.
“This year has been my best year personally,” Croker told AAP.
“It wasn’t until this year that Justin gave me the shot at the No.13 and the coaching staff put that faith in me to play a key role in our attack.
“It’s a bit of a joke with the lads about the streak I’m on, but I take pride in it.
“I’ve worked hard to get this 13 role so I’ve never wanted to have a day off in case someone comes in. There’s that old saying, ‘never have a day off work else someone will steal your job’.”
Croker has lived that mantra to the full, revealing how he has trained through niggles all year.
It’s a trait he credits to his father Allan, whose family has farmed the same land in the NSW country town of Nabiac for close to 150 years.
“I loved being on the farm and helping my old man, probably subconsciously it helped me form good habits for years later,” Croker said.
“He is fifth generation on the same land, there’s a headstone from the 1880s of the very first Croker on the farm that me and him fixed up.
“He has always said there wasn’t going to be a sixth (generation), he didn’t want us to take on dairying because it’s really tough work and the reward is not as much as it was back in the day.”
That work ethic has set Croker on course to the grand final after winning positional match-ups with three of the game’s premier locks; Isaah Yeo, Erin Clark and Cameron Murray over the past month.
The Knights will begin as outsiders when Croker goes toe to toe with Victor Radley, but the durable Newcastle lock has one more step of his marathon season to finish.
“We are that connected as a group, we will do anything for each other. Even when our legs cannot move,” Croker said.
“Wins feel so much better when you're down and out and you're just turning up for each other. That's when it feels the best.”
