Why Wests Tigers hopeful Pat Herbert jumped off an excavator and into an NRL pre

Pat Herbert was just over three years removed from his last NRL game, perched on an excavator and well into the rest of his life, when his dreams came back to him.

He'd done a bit of everything since a planned move from the Gold Coast to Super League fell apart in early 2023, leaving him stranded in the rugby league wilderness.

There was some landscaping and some operating and plenty a hard day's work away from the lights of big time footy.

He was midway through one of those days when the phone rang from Wests Tigers offering many a former player's greatest wish — a second chance.

"I got a call from the Tigers while I was on the excavator, and here we are," Herbert said.

To have a pretty decent break due to unforeseen circumstances and mishaps and then get a second shot? It's overwhelming when I think about it.

"That time was necessary for me to do some growth within myself away from being a footy player and it's only when I came back I realised what we had at our fingertips. I say that to the young boys, to take their opportunities.

"It got stripped away from me. I'm so lucky to get another crack."

Herbert has since slogged his way through the summer on a train and trial deal with the joint venture.

There's been no guarantees for the 29-year-old, just the chance to work hard and make what he can of it which is all Herbert ever wanted.

A hard-nosed and physical centre, Herbert had a fair bit of experience in the big time as a two-time Maori All Stars representative who played 59 NRL gamed from 2019 to 2022 with New Zealand and Gold Coast.

But early in 2023, after recovering from knee surgery and being released by the Titans, Herbert suffered a serious Achilles injury just weeks before he was due to head to Europe.

The Super League deal collapsed and Herbert's time in professional football looked done.

"I found myself with no chips on the table and it became my new normal," Herbert said.

"Sometimes you get a bad hand and you just have to play it."

So Herbert and his family moved back to Wollongong, where Herbert had captained St George Illawarra's Under 20s team once upon a time.

He still had plenty of mates down there with good jobs on offer and he worked as a landscaper, a labourer and a few other things.

Alongside his fiancée he raised his three sons and, aside from a few matches in the local comp, started to move beyond his football life.

Time passed and his boys started growing and that's when Herbert realised the old times were getting further away.

"They always knew me as a footy player and when we watched the games on TV while I was in that intermission phase they'd see my old teammates on TV and say 'that's Uncle such-and-such,'" Herbert said.

"But that was fading and the optimism was fading along with it as the days from my last match got longer."

Once Herbert got the call there was no question whether he'd see it through to the end, whatever that end may be.

"It just put my foot back in the door and I felt like I had a lot to offer and some fire in the belly," Herbert said.

"Whatever happens, happens — but the only way I can show my gratitude towards the opportunity I've been given is by showing up and doing my thing."

Even now, Herbert still isn't sure why the Tigers decided to call him off his excavator.

They might have seen him playing back home in New Zealand in last year's Tukana Tournament, an all-Maori knockout competition, where Herbert starred for champions Kotahitanga.

Maybe he just stuck in coach Benji Marshall's mind from their days as teammates for the Maori All Stars.

Or maybe Herbert's reputation as a big time tin shifter during his old career — at the Warriors he was so good at everything in the gym above the waist they called him "Mr Uppers" and when it came to relative strength he was the best at the club — helped him over the line.

But for Herbert, the why of it doesn't matter. He's here now and he's just grateful for that.

"I've been loving it. I had to find that passion and love again when I was given that opportunity. I can't be any more grateful," he said.

"The physical side is always tough, a pre-season is always demanding. But the time away helped me see it from a different perspective. It's a lot more fulfilling.

"But the higher purpose for me is to make my boys proud, that aligns me when it gets tough."

Herbert's been on a long journey already, from the rugby league beyond to the Tigers and through the pre-season to now.

He made it past Christmas, which is the first major cut-off, and the Tigers first pre-season match of the year is looming.

But Herbert isn't thinking that far ahead. He just wants to make the most of every day.

He loves the closeness of the playing group, how they'd all do anything for Marshall and how Marshall would do the same for them. He loves being back in a world he thought he'd left behind.

And whenever he does go back to the rest of his life, which he already started during his time away, he'll know it's not for lack of trying.

"I was out on the field for my first day and had a moment to myself and I said 'What am I doing here?' and I almost shed a tear," Herbert said.

"It was just a moment of gratitude, because it's hard enough to get one shot at this thing.

"Whatever role I can get here, I just want to repay."

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