Greater Northern Tigers representative and Gunnedah Bulldog, Bailey Lennox, has the world at his feet.
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The young second-rower also has the sun at his back but probably more than he desired for last weekend's trial match at Kurri Kurri.
"Getting through the heat was the hard thing," Lennox, 15, said.
"It was hot, very hot."
His under 16 divisional side faced a squad of almost 30 players from the Newcastle Knights development academy.
Lennox said the opposition's big player base allowed them to run on two fresh teams for each half.
It was energy-sapping stuff but all part of the test by coaching staff to extend player fatigue to the limit.
"We just had to keep pushing through," Lennox said.
The keen sportsman schools at Gunnedah High and unsurprisingly names PE (physical education) as one of his favourite subjects.
He follows South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL and even trialled with the club at Cronulla earlier this year. It followed a look by the Knights development team in late 2015.
Lennox is itching for a run and doing his best to succeed. But he also understands the path to success ain't easy with plenty of obstacles still ahead of him.
Nonetheless, he has already seen good improvement in his game since the start of his representation with the Tigers.
"My technique has changed, I've got a more effective tackling style," he said.
The Tigers squad, which also features fellow Gunnedah junior Luke Howes (Farrer Agriculture College), will train this weekend in preparation for upcoming matches at Narrabeen.
In the meantime, Lennox will juggle his Tigers, Group 4 and school commitments as well as a casual job at McDonalds.
The balancing act wasn't easy he said, but the help of a supportive family made a big difference.
