Peter Lusted via ABC
Dean Ieremia made his NRL debut aged 19 and made history by becoming the fourth Victorian to play for the Melbourne Storm, but his response was typically humble.
"I'd like to thank my Mum and Dad especially for dropping me off to the game," he told reporters after Friday night's match against Cronulla.
Ieremia has followed in the footsteps of Mahe Fonua, Young Tonumaipea and Richie Kennar as the only Storm players who began their junior rugby league careers in Melbourne.
He signed his first professional contract with the Storm earlier this season but still lives at home at Sunbury, north of Melbourne.
"I got no flash place, I just live in the local area with my mum and dad, five brothers and four sisters. I still catch the train into training," he said.
Born in Samoa, Ieremia moved from New Zealand to Melbourne when he was nine and began playing with the Sunbury Tigers a few years later, where the dream was born.
