The bright lights of Las Vegas are a long way from the small Queensland country town of Monto where Raiders debutant Owen Pattie grew up.
Just under 12,000km to be exact.
There’s no doubt when the 21-year-old runs out for the Raiders in his NRL debut on Sunday the 1,100 population of Monto will be glued to their TV screens.
Speaking to www.raiders.com.au prior to re-signing until the end of the 2028 season last week, Pattie spoke about what it would mean to one day make his NRL debut with the Raiders.
Little did he think it would be just a week later.
“Ever since I can remember all I wanted to do is play NRL and to do it at this club would mean a lot to me with how they’ve treated me through my whole time here, all three years here,” Pattie said.
“It would mean a lot to my family too coming from a small regional area. It was a struggle playing rugby league as a kid because there weren’t many competitions around and I had to go to a boarding school to play football and get an opportunity.”
Speaking of family, the Pattie’s have joined Owen in Vegas to witness this special moment.
Dad Matthew, Mum Tracey, brother Jack and partner Kirby were all on hand to present Owen with his debut jersey in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
“They are very proud. I’m lucky Mum and Dad are very supportive and I’ve got a great older brother who also loves rugby league and we’ve sort of shared the dream of always playing NRL one day.
“I wouldn’t be here without Mum and Dad, that’s for sure.”
When asked if he thought all of his hard work was starting to pay off after re-signing with the club, in typical fashion Pattie was humble in his response.
“I feel like it’s a sign to keep working hard, coming here I was never granted to play NRL or even train with the top squad,” Pattie said.
“I’ve had to be diligent with all my training, try to make the squad for Jersey Flegg, try to make the squad for NSW Cup and now compete for a NRL spot.
“None of that is possible without turning up each day to each training session willing to put in the work.
“At this point it is paying off but you’ve still got to work hard, it means nothing until you perform on the field.
“It’s the same mindset, coming to training each day with a good attitude and look to be a better footy player every day.”
It’s been a big few weeks for Pattie and he can’t wait to see what the next few years hold with the young group of talent around him.
“It’s very exciting. I never thought I’d have this opportunity at all in my career, I never thought it was really a possibility from where I come from, just a small area.
“For Canberra to give me the opportunity to come down here as a kid, as a 17-year-old, 18-year-old, and to be able to re-sign in a short period of time, it means a lot.
“There’s a good young group of boys coming through at the moment. That’s led by the senior players in Taps, Huddo, Starlo and big Papa.
“There’s a lot to look forward to and I definitely want to be a part of that.
“I just want to contribute as best as I can, whether that’s just being depth in the squad or what not, but it’s definitely exciting getting to train and play with the young boys coming through that they’ve recruited.”
