A Town Washed Away and Bruce Lee’s Bond of All-Star Relatives Cody Walker and Daine Laurie

Representing his mob and cousins ​​scattered across the region has been a lifelong goal for Laurie. Doing this alongside his Uncle Walker, a childhood hero and sounding board who comes through the grades at Penrith, only makes his late draft all the sweeter.

“Ronnie Griffiths and Mango [assistant coach Matt Bowen] called me late last week and when they called I had my fingers crossed,” Laurie said.

“When they asked me to play I just hummed, I had butterflies in my stomach. I’ve shown how shredded I am this year, I gave them a little flex in front of the camera just to let them know I’m definitely fit to play.

“Uncle Cody has known me all my life, he’s known me since I was in diapers. Sharing the field with him and representing our people together is very special. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and it will hold a special place in my heart.

“Hopefully he can set me up for a try or two and I could do a backflip with him watching over me. ”

Walker is equally delighted to line up with Laurie, 10 years his junior, having known the Wests Tigers full-back all his life and appropriately admired his NRL promotion.

“We jumped off the bridge behind Baryulgil and he jumped off there in diapers to make sure he wasn’t left out because he was young,” Walker recalled. “He was really into Bruce Lee back then, he had long blond hair and he was a cheeky kid who was throwing those Bruce Lee kicks in the air.

“It is very special to be here together. I just love his story. He came from the country as a child, lived with a family and made it in Penrith. There were times when he was homesick and it would have been hard to stay in town, but to see him play at the NRL is a privilege to watch. I’m so proud of him and I’ve played him a couple of times now so it’s special.”