Jesse Parete is one of the up and coming players at the Chiefs. While his dreadlocks are becoming a regular sight on the Super Rugby field now, there was a time where the loose-forward was on the pathway to the NRL.
The Taranaki product moved to Melbourne after leaving New Plymouth Boys High school to take up a contract with the Melbourne Storm's NYC team in 2010.
He describes the intensity of training as one of the hardest things he's ever done, but also credits the experience as helping him prepare for life as a professional football player.
"At school it's 'just go have a jam'," he says, "but in that [Melbourne] it's just learning discipline, and you know mental toughness and stuff. And it's definitely got me to where I am now, I think if I didn't have that that early I might've struggled a little bit."
Some of his Melbourne teammates read like a who's who of current NRL stars, including Kiwi players Tohu Harris and Kenny Bromwich, and Jordan McLean.
Parete admits there are times when he wonders what might have happened had he continued in the 13 man code, "some of the boys found out that I was in the Storm when I was younger and they're like 'what if' and I'm like yeah I know. I just sit back at home, and just like far what if I would've stayed, I could've been who knows where!" he says.
However, he doesn't regret his choice to return home to NZ and make the switch back to rugby union.
The 196cm (6'5") tall loose forward, surprisingly only moved into the forwards around 4 years ago, he played for Taranaki U20s at second five eight, and says the move into the forward pack was strange at first, "Especially the jumping, when I was a back, far I didn't have to - no jumping, no lifting up."
He made his Mitre 10 Cup debut with Taranaki in 2014, before moving to the Bay of Plenty Steamers in 2016, and returning to the amber and Blacks in 2018.
He has spent a couple of years with the Chiefs development team, and is finding regular game time with the Super Rugby franchise since making his debut in the 23-19 loss to the Jaguares in Rotorua last year, scoring the Chiefs only try of the night.
"Knowing where I come from, and to achieve something like that is just unreal," says Parete. He says his whānau and friends were watching at home, and despite the team coming up short, the family "were all stoked."
Jesse Parete and his dreadlocks will again be in action in Hamilton when the Chiefs face the Sunwolves on Saturday night.