If Setu Tu hits the jackpot with an NRL debut in Las Vegas, the St George Illawarra recruit knows it'll be down to a selfless decision his brother made 12 years ago after the tragic death of their parents.
The 27-year-old Dragons winger Tu has never been to the USA, and knows the bright lights of Sin City will feel a long way from his home in the small Samoan village of Saleimoa.
Tu had a hard upbringing back in Samoa; he and his three siblings had lost both of their parents to cancer by the time Setu was 12.
"That's life, I guess," Tu told AAP.
"It was pretty tough but having family around helps."
Tu's older brother Rob assumed pastoral care of his siblings and made the big decision to relocate the family to New Zealand for a better life in Auckland when Setu was 15.
"I lost my parents when we were young so my older brother took care of that role and moved me and my siblings over," Tu said.
"I'm grateful for him, playing that role for us.
"He could've been playing footy. But I feel like he sacrificed his dream so I could live mine."
That footy career has been hard won for Tu, who has played the majority of his reserve-grade career at the Warriors since making his NSW Cup debut there in 2019.
To keep the dream alive while living in Auckland, Tu worked a part-time job delivering doors and windows to building sites.
"I was pretty good at it," he said with a laugh.
But Tu now appears closer to a long-awaited NRL debut than ever before, having arrived at the Dragons in the off-season on a development deal.
The sacrifices have continued since Tu's arrival; his partner and two kids have remained behind in Auckland but are hopeful of moving over to reunite with Tu in the coming weeks.
"They've made a huge sacrifice for myself," he said.
Shane Flanagan's side has a genuine selection battle in the outside backs ahead of their season-opener against Canterbury in Vegas.
Christian Tuipulotu, Mat Feagai, Tyrell Sloan, David Fale and Tu are all competing for two starting spots on the wings.
Sloan and Tuipulotu were first-choice starters last year, but Flanagan is continuing to tinker with his rebuilding side and has been impressed by recruits Fale and Tu this pre-season.
"At training, they've been great, real good, probably exceeded my expectations," the coach said on Friday.
"One of them or two of them could force their way into the round-one game."
Tu continued to push his case in the Dragons' 28-18 pre-season defeat of Newcastle on Saturday with a runaway first-half try and 154 run metres.
After all the waiting, sacrifice and hurt, Tu truly would feel like the luckiest man in Las Vegas with an NRL debut.
"I don't have words for it," Tu said.
"Obviously it's been a journey for myself, me and my family. It means a lot for myself, and mostly for my family as well."
For now, he's just excited to check in with Rob, who still lives in Auckland, about his performance in the pre-season trial.
"I know he's proud of me and I'm pretty sure he watched our game tonight," Tu said.
"He's going to say something about me running hard."
