When Woden Valley Rams brothers Tom and Brayden Robertson laced the boots together on the same field for the first time two years ago, they knew it was destiny.
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Both came through the grades at Raiders - Tom playing for the under-20s side which made the grand final while Brayden was running around with the under-18s SG Ball team.
But it was at another NRL club the brothers had a vision of playing at together having grown up as South Sydney diehards.
The pair are only too happy to ditch their Rabbitohs dream and play for the Raiders should the opportunity present itself. And that may just be around the corner given Tom trained with the Raiders during preseason.
"It was good to rub shoulders with the big boys, it was certainly an experience I won't forget and hopefully they invite me back this year," Tom said.
"It has me eager to play my best footy, I was supposed to line-up for the Mounties this year but unfortunately that didn't happen.
"I am just focused on playing my best footy with Bradyo [Brayden] and the boys and hopefully push for the finals."
Brayden has battled issues with his shoulder, but that only made him more determined, with the young half claiming the coaches award last year for the Raiders' SG ball side.
With every game a must win now for the Rams, Brayden said playing with Tom was a massive boost and also revealed that he looked to Billy Slater for motivation as well as pair of brothers also running around in the NRL.
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"We have dreamed about playing together since we started playing in 2007, we finally got to accomplish that dream in 2018," Brayden said.
"I looked to Billy Slater for inspiration, he is a fullback and I am a halfback, but the way he dealt with shoulder injuries and came back stronger each time gave me plenty to model around.
"More recently Tom and I love watching the Trbojevic brothers play, just seeing the way they play and the whole brother thing, a back and forward linking up during games is cool to watch and something we try to emulate."
Woden will take on the in-form Gungahlin Bulls this week, needing a win to maintain their top-two charge.
Neil Bijorac's Bulls have won three-straight matches including a 54-14 hammering of the under-manned Queanbeyan Blues last weekend.
The Rams beat the Blues the week prior, but fell 28-22 to the Raiders under-20s last weekend.
