Teenage Waratahs sensation Max Jorgensen has revealed why he resisted the temptations of an NRL deal and instead signed with NSW, after bursting onto the Super Rugby scene with a two-try debut against the Brumbies.
While other young players have spoken of Australia's golden runway of events that include the 2025 British & Irish Lions series and a home Rugby World Cup two years later, Jorgensen, 18, simply made the decision to follow his heart.
"I think just the love of the game, it's always been the favourite in my eyes," he told reporters after the Waratahs had gone down 31-25 to the Brumbies in front of 25,076 fans at Allianz Stadium.
"And I don't know, something just clicked and I just wanted to stay in union for the love of it."
Such a line will be music to the ears of NSW and Rugby Australia administrators who worked hard to secure Jorgensen as he was starring for St Joseph's College in Sydney's GPS rugby competition last year.
NRL powerhouse Sydney Roosters -- who have had a history of signing other rugby players straight out of school -- and their coach Trent Robinson, attempted to woo Jorgensen, but the son of former Wallaby, Peter, instead signed with Waratahs coach Darren Coleman and then set his sights on playing Super Rugby in 2023.
While an injury to winger Dylan Pietsch during the preseason probably helped Jorgensen earn a run-on start a little earlier than expected, after the 18-year-old's performance on Saturday night there are no question marks about his preparedness for the professional game.
"As soon as I got offered a contract by DC I knew I wanted to play Round 1, so I just worked as hard as I could in preseason to try and give myself the best shot for a starting place in Round 1," Jorgensen said.
"At first it was a pretty big step up from schoolboy level, it took me a couple of weeks to get used to it and now I'm fine with it."
Jorgensen enjoyed the dream debut moment when he ran onto a popped pass from Angus Bell, slipped between Wallabies forwards Allan Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini, and then palmed off Brumbies scrum-half Ryan Lonergan to run in between the sticks for his first Super Rugby try midway through the first half on Friday night.
He added a second with a short run to the corner in the second half, amid a performance loaded with other glimpses of skill while he also tracked back well in defence to make a key tackle on Brumbies flyer Tom Wright as well.
There was however one moment which he will likely be disappointed with, after Lonergan caught the entire Waratahs team napping when he kicked across to winger Andy Muirhead from a Brumbies penalty and Jorgensen could not get across to make a tackle before his opposite scooted in to score.
While Jorgensen had probably retreated too far infield to prepare for what the entire NSW team thought was a shot at goal, Waratahs skipper Jake Gordon said that was a play his entire team had to be more aware of.
"Yeah it was a weird one because the trainer came on and from our understanding it was time off," Gordon said. "But it was a fair play, to be fair he [referee Nic Berry] didn't actually call time off, we just thought that once the trainer usually enters, more often than not you usually go to time off.
"Andy wasn't even ready for it... it was pretty poor, we knocked off, everyone came in, we had one person outside the first post so it was pretty cluey from them really."
Jorgensen said that he had received only a small few words of advice from dad Peter, who joined the Roosters and later the Panthers after two Tests for the Wallabies, but that he had always been there as a mentor throughout his rise through the schoolboys ranks.
"I don't think it changes anything, you learn a lot off him," Jorgensen said when asked if it was a good thing his dad had carved out a professional sporting career of his own.
"It's good to have someone like that in the family, to teach you from a young age, and always support you and knows the game. So I think it helps."
Waratahs lock Jed Holloway, who only made his Wallabies debut at age 28 last year, predicted a much sooner rise to Test rugby for Jorgensen, particularly after he himself had been schooled at training by the 18-year-old winger.
"This kid's got game," Holloway replied when asked what his first impressions of Jorgensen were. "I was in the other team against him and I think he scored two tries against us and tore us to bits on counter [attack].
"Just the subtle footwork he's got, you wouldn't say he's a big man but he's slippery, as you saw running through Allan [Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini], early on for that first try, and just his speed's a game changer. He's a kid for the future that's for sure."