He’s 49 games in but Jesse Colquhoun has a bigger target in sight, ahead of his milestone match for the Sharks on Sunday.
“It’d be nice if I can do one better than Gal,” Colquhoun laughed.
“Nah I can’t really put a number on where I want to get to but I’m just grateful to be playing week in and week out and part of such a special team.”
“I’m blessed to be honest. It’s been a rollercoaster of 49 games so far and I was just grateful to play 1 game let alone 50.”
All 50 will be for a club whose colours he proudly wore as a kid.
The Sharks middle forward was born and raised in Wollongong, but his mum Raquel and her side of the family grew up in the Shire, cheering on the black, white and blue at Ocean Protect Stadium.
His dad Brad shared that “all of Jesse’s baby photos are in Sharks gear.”
“Jesse’s great grandfather, grandfather, his mum Raquel and uncle were all members of the Sharks so 3 generations and they would all go together to watch the footy at Shark Park back in the day.
“So, it’s amazing that Jess has landed there because there’s 40+ years of them actually going to Shark Park and watching those games.”
The 24-year-old has overcome so much to get to this point, including multiple serious injuries and being overlooked by other clubs as a junior.
Something his father is incredibly proud of, “things haven’t always come easily for Jess. It’s come through perseverance.”
“He’s been through some tough periods, but he’s always come through the other side, firstly, with a smile on his face but being successful as well because of the hard work, effort, energy and time investment that he’s put into it.”
Jesse Colquhoun Try
But if you ask Jesse he'll tell you, "I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”
"My family have been there for me through those tough times and pushed me along the way to get here. They’ve been my rock and my support network right from the beginning.
“I’ve got a lot of fond memories of junior league games. Them taking me to those early morning matches, taking days off work to drive me out to the middle of country New South Wales for school rep games and being there for me when I was injured and them taking time off work to drive me up here when I couldn’t drive.”
“So, they’ve done a lot for me, and I hope I can repay them.”
The whole Colquhoun cohort will be cheering Jesse on at CommBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon against the Eels.
“They’re pretty pumped. I think as much as it’s a celebration for me, it’s for them,” Jesse explained.
“I can’t wait to hopefully get a win and celebrate with my family and the team as well.”
But win, lose or draw, Jesse will be savouring every moment, and his old man will make sure he continues to do so with Brad's weekly reminder.
“Every Tuesday when I get home from work and I see the team list; I always congratulate Jess for getting in and he goes ‘dad why do you do that?’ I said, ‘mate don’t ever take any game for granted at all.’”
“‘You’ve worked so hard for so long to get to this point so always feel it’s a privilege to be selected to play and I’ll always let you know congratulations that you’re in,’” the proud father shared.
Here’s to 50 more congratulations from dad.
