Melbourne Storm’s Marion Seve only got six minutes off the bench in his NRL debut last round, but that’s time he thought he might never get.
The 23-year-old has stared down much tougher life challenges than the will ever face on the football field, overcoming testicular and liver cancer as a teenager before losing his dad to the disease.
“It made my childhood dream come true, to be there with the Storm,” Seve said making his debut against Canberra last round.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs and I’ve had some challenges over the years.”
Seve, who can play in the centres or second row, was on track for the big time before being diagnosed with cancer as a schoolboy back in 2012.
The initial prognosis wasn’t good, with the stage three cancer having spread to his liver, with surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy required.
But Seve, the youngest of seven, bounced back to represent Australian Schoolboys the following year, catching the eye of Wests Tigers recruiters.
His start to his NRL career stalled when his dad succumbed to the disease, with the pull to return home to Ipswich to be with his large Samoan family strong.
The Broncos gave Seve an opportunity but he said he didn’t really take it – a mistake he’s determined not to make again with Melbourne, who he joined in mid-2018.
Seve has been named on the bench again for the Storm’s clash with Penrith in Bathurst on Saturday night where he’s hoping to get another crack.
“When I see someone get injured and have to sit out a couple of weeks I reflect back to when I was sitting out and not playing,” Seve said.
“I just to be grateful for every game and training session – I enjoy it, and have fun because you never know when you will stop playing.”