Footscray prop Cruze Ah-Nau will grab his second and possibly last chance at professional rugby with both hands.
Ah-Nau has travelled a long and bumpy road to finally get the security of a long-term professional contract with the Melbourne Rebels and is not about to let another opportunity slip.
“I’m really delighted,” he said.
“For me and my family, it was a goal for 2015 to do that … I was lucky enough to get it nice and early on.
“They had a chat with me and said they wanted to sign me for a few more years … for them to do that, I was very humbled and happy to confirm that I would stay for another couple of years.”
Ah-Nau, a Perth native, was widely seen as one of the most promising youngsters to come out of the Western Force Academy.
He went on to play for Australia’s under-20 side but disappointingly never made an impression with the Force in Super Rugby.
He was simply not ready for life as a full-time professional sportsman.
“I was much younger then and had a lot to learn,” he said. “I probably got a bit complacent and took it for granted.”
When Ah-Nau was chopped by the Force, he could have recoiled back to a comfortable life among family and friends in his hometown or he could have left his comfort zone and pursued a rugby career elsewhere.
With the support of wife Sophie and children Tyrell, 6, and Jai, 3, Ah-Nau travelled east in search of a rugby lifeline.
He landed at Norths in the strong Sydney club rugby competition and got to work – both as a footballer and in the nine-to-five grind.
“Moving to Sydney and playing semi- professional rugby was a learning curve for me,” Ah-Nau said.
“I was working full-time, digging holes for a living and sort of learning the hard way.
“I learned a lot there playing against professional rugby players every week.
“Just having the drive of my family behind me and knowing the hard yards that I’ve done … I look back at that all of the time and don’t forget it.”
The Rebels scouts liked what they saw in Ah-Nau and brought him to Melbourne, where he linked up with Footscray in the VRU.
He watched the Rebels play on a Friday night before donning the Bulldogs’ tricolours on a Saturday and continuing to impress.
Ah-Nau broke into the Rebels team last season, playing 11 games for two starts.
“I knew that once I got my opportunity, I had to take it with both hands,” he said.
Ah-Nau was glad to have landed at Footscray, the club making the transition to Melbourne a lot easier.
Bulldogs coaches Junior Naufahu and Nic Henderson, a former Rebel, have been huge factors in his development.
“They’ve helped me heaps,” Ah-Nau said of his local club. “The boys in general, they’ve all got my back and they all look after each other. There’s a good culture down there.”
Despite being from interstate, Ah-Nau wants to see rugby union thrive in Victoria. He loves the fact all the Rebels players get back to grassroots clubs, help with coaching and act as role models for young players.
“If we can help them out any way we can, that’s our goal – to grow Victorian rugby and make sure we’re got more Victorians playing for the Melbourne Rebels,” he said.
Ah-Nau is making a push to be part of the Rebels’ 23-man squad for Friday night’s season-opening clash against the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch.
