It's said you need to have cement in your bones to play in the NRL and when it comes to Wests Tigers back-rower Matt Eisenhuth that's literally the case.
When the 24-year-old stepped across the stripe for his first-grade debut in Saturday's loss to Cronulla, it was an extra special moment having fought and beaten cancer.
Eisenhuth's world was turned upside down three years ago when it was discovered he had a bone tumour in his lower leg.
While at Penrith, he was undergoing rehabilitation from double shoulder surgery and began experiencing a dull ache in his knee.
It was during a routine x-ray that he realised it was something more than a football-related injury.
"They sent me for an x-ray and they stopped the x-ray halfway through it and the people who were doing it they said 'how long have you had the pain for?' I knew straight away something was going on," Eisenhuth said.
"I didn't find out until the next day when I saw the club doctor and he told me what I had."
The tumour turned out to be benign and was successfully removed however the brush with cancer changed his outlook on life and made his NRL debut all the more special.
"At the time they said it's most likely not going to be malignant but it's still a scare," he said.
"I don't know where it came from but it just started inside my bone and started to eat away at the bone. It was more like there was a hole in my leg than anything.
"They had it cut into my leg, scoop around it and filled it with bone cement.
"I've got bone cement in my leg and that's holding it all together. They said it as strong as it was before so there's no reason why you shouldn't play."
Eisenhuth has a one-year deal with the Tigers and now has a golden chance to cement a spot in the top 17 and his future after standing out on debut.
In a 52-minute stint he made 150m from 17 carries and 21 tackles as well as showcasing his offload skills which caused the Sharks plenty of headaches.
"I thought he played really well, he certainly didn't look out of place," coach Ivan Cleary said.
Sharks skipper and Eisenhuth's cousin Paul Gallen described him as one of the Tigers' best on the park.
"He played really well, your first game can be hard or it can be a memorable one," Gallen said.
"I thought he played really well tonight and I said to him that he and (Ava) Seumanufagai were probably their two best forwards.
"Fingers crossed he can stay in first grade."
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