Derby’s dream a reality at last
Debut long time coming
The crushing disappointment of being cut by the Storm and years of training and sacrifice in the relentless pursuit of a shot at the NRL will finally come to fruition for Cowboys flyer Robert Derby on Friday night.
Derby was on Tuesday named to replace Maroons Origin winger Murray Taulagi for Friday’s clash with the Eels, capping a meteoric rise which has taken him from park footy to the NRL in just three years.
He clocked up the kilometres earlier in the week, playing for the Blackhawks against Norths Devils in Brisbane on Sunday, flying back to Townsville that night then jumping straight back on a plane bound for Sydney to join his Cowboys teammates.
And at CommBank Stadium on Friday night, he will clock up a surreal debut appearance in the NRL.
“It doesn’t feel real yet, it still hasn’t fully kicked in,” he said. “It’s a dream come true.
“I’ve worked since I was young for this.”
Derby’s debut has been a long time coming according to those who watched him progress through the grades in Cairns.
Born in Port Moresby, Derby spent the first five years of his life in PNG before his family moved to Vietnam, where they spent two years.
A stint in Western Australia followed before they packed their bags and headed for the tropics.
The Derbys arrived in Cairns when he was eight and started playing footy with Brothers, with whom he stayed throughout his time in the Far North.
The speedster was part of the Northern Pride’s development system, and in 2019 was signed by the Storm and moved to the Sunshine Coast to join Melbourne’s Queensland academy.
That lasted one year, and when he was cut in 2020 he returned to Cairns with a point to prove – and it’s totally changed his life.
“It was one of my most important periods for my development,” Derby said.
“Since I was a kid I wanted to move from Cairns and improve my footy, develop, but I needed to stay with mum and be there.
“I don’t regret anything that I’ve gone through to get here, but I waited a bit to move down when I signed for the Storm.
“I did get dropped by them in early 2020 and after that, I think I just had a switch in my head – it just happened, and I couldn’t stop working.
“During that Covid period I was training every day, going to the gym, running, just trying to get fit.
“I started to play better footy and from then I knew it just took hard work and being consistent and dedicated.
“That helped me a lot that Covid period and that got me to where I am now.”
A graduate of the Cowboys’ Young Guns program, Derby’s career took off in 2022.
He started the year as an outside chance to play a handful of games for the Northern Pride in the Hostplus Cup, and instead went on to play 16 games – scoring seven tries and regularly being among the best performers.
The winger played his first international for Papua New Guinea in the mid-year Test against Fiji, and would have gone to the World Cup if not for an ankle injury.
Derby was reallocated to the Blackhawks after the Cowboys changed their approach to allocating contracted players in 2023 and he picked up where he left off as his new-found confidence took his game to another level.
He will get his first opportunity to showcase his skill in the NRL on Friday night, but before he becomes Cowboy No. 311 – the same night Bundaberg product Zac Laybutt also makes his debut in the centres – he recognised the immense sacrifice he, and those around him, have made along the journey.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs through life, my parents sacrificed a lot getting me to footy, spending money on footy trips,” he said.
“Sacrificing, when I got bit older, nights out so I could be fresh and feel good the next day. A lot of hours training.
“When I was a kid, it didn’t feel as bad as I was always energetic – and when you’re a kid you just want to run around. But closer to this and older, definitely a lot more sacrifices from my parents, myself, my girlfriend.
“It’s been a pretty good journey along the way.
“I still can’t gather that I’m actually playing.”
doe“It sn’t feel real yet, it still hasn’t fully kicked in Robert Derby Cowboys debutant