Trip to the top drips in sweat
MEET Jesse Arthars, the Gold Coast’s newest NRL debutant who has emerged from “the shadows.”
The 20-year-old outside back has been a revelation since returning to the Coast from stints in the Melbourne and South Sydney systems, scoring seven tries in as many games at Intrust Super Cup level for Burleigh.
Titans coach Garth Brennan has taken notice, elevating him to a place on the first grade bench against Cronulla at Suncorp Stadium tonight.
Arthars was born in Auckland but grew up on the Coast. He started at Runaway Bay in under-12s under the coaching of his father Jason.
“We always knew that Jesse had it in him but the last couple of years have been tough on him,” Jason said, referring to the death of Jesse’s mother Jane last year following a cancer battle.
As a junior, Jesse did not stand out.
“In all fairness, he was the kid that gave 100 per cent,” Jason said.
“It’s funny because a lot of his friends that were playing football, they were the ones through the younger years that were making rep teams based on their skill set but Jesse was the one that worked the hardest. He was always in the shadows.”
Jesse finished his junior career at Helensvale, where club president Wayne Court worked with him as assistant coach. “He’s just a hardworking, humble kid who was never the big superstar when he was younger … it just goes to show that hard work pays off,” Court said.
Jesse is now a Hornets ambassador and his younger brother Stellan Arthars is a member of the club’s under-20 team.
Runaway Bay and Helensvale both had significant roles to play in his development but Jason feels it was his renowned school Keebra Park that was the “biggest contributor to where he is now”.
At Burleigh this year, Jesse has regularly shone, threatening opposition defensive lines with his footwork and knack of finding the tryline.
“He reads the game so well and he is very, very quick out of the blocks,” Jason said.
“He is not a 100m runner but over 10, 15, 20m he is very explosive and I think that is his biggest asset.”