He grew up on the mean streets of south Auckland and made his NRL name on Sydney's beaches, but Frank-Paul Nuuausala loves Canberra so much he's declared his intention to lock in a long-term future at the Green Machine.
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The softly-spoken, hard-hitting Raiders second-rower is gearing up for his second season in the capital after a shock move from the Sydney Roosters last year.
He left the surf at Bondi for a chance to make an impact in Canberra and help "build something special", similar to what he was a part of at the Roosters.
The last thing he expected was to fall in love with a city that has a reputation in the NRL of being boring.
Now he wants to forge a long-term future in lime green, admitting he has already thought about the prospect of extending his stay beyond his deal, which expires at the end of 2017.
"I love it here, I want to stay for a long time. I can already see a long future here. Canberra feels like home to me now," Nuuausala said.
"When I came to Sydney from New Zealand I was 18, I didn't even know what a cafe was. There was no point living near the beach because I couldn't swim anyway.
"If you don't want traffic, come here. People in Canberra are a lot nicer than they are in Sydney.
"Other people tell you not to go to Canberra, they say it's boring. But until you come here for yourself, it's an awesome place to live and raise your family.
"I'm from New Zealand, a rough neighbourhood. When I went to Bondi I was like, 'wow'. My eyes were wide, I'd never seen beaches and I loved my life there. But I love it here now."
Nuuausala looms as a key cog in the Raiders' hopes of bursting back into the finals and being a genuine premiership contender.
He's a premiership winner, a Test player for New Zealand and the Raiders need him to be a consistent performer for their season hopes.
And he hopes his first full pre-season in two years helps him achieve his goals.
Nuuausala uprooted his life in Sydney at the end of 2014 to move to Canberra. It wasn't the first time he's taken a drastic step to further his career.
Nuuausala was part of the Samoan Bloods gang growing up in New Zealand and his football talents were wasting away.
His body is covered in tattoos marking significant moments in his life – his 13 brothers and sisters and the Roosters' 2013 premiership, to name a couple.
But these days he'd rather talk about the NRL and his hopes for the Raiders.
"Doing the pre-season I know I've done all the hard work. Last year I felt underdone and that I hadn't put in that hard work to put the boys out," Nuuausala said.
"This year we're all in it together. I've been playing in the NRL for 10 years and this would have to be one of the hardest pre-seasons.
"I don't like running, but when everyone is suffering and going through the same pain, we're all doing it together and that builds the bond.
"I feel that bond is stronger this year, and the calibre of players we've got this year is going to make it amazing and hard just to win a spot in the team – that will make us stronger."
The Raiders have locked in the bulk of their roster for at least the next two years, with a host of players committing to the club in the hope of a revival under coach Ricky Stuart.
"We've got a lot of depth in every position now and that's going to help us be successful," Nuuausala said.
"Competition in your squad with your mates is one of the ingredients you need for a good season … I feel fitter this year. There's a great feeling around and hopefully we can transfer that on to the field."
