He's played rugby league all over the world and now Ashton Sims wants to give back to the competition that propelled his career to its amazing heights.
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That competition is Group Seven Rugby League, where he started his new role as operations manager on Wednesday.
"This is a job I wanted straight after I decided to hang up the boots," he said.
"People asked if I wanted to get into coaching but I always told them the administration side of things was high on my agenda, as by nature I feel as though I'm a proactive person that can be an asset to whatever team I work for.
"When it comes to rugby league, especially on the South Coast, it's been the heartbeat of our community for a long time and I have no doubts it will continue to be for decades to come.
"It [Group Seven] helped me fall in love with the game of rugby league and for that, I owe it an enormous amount - it's great to come full circle and be given the chance to help the next generation of footy stars.
"My aim is to build on the culture that already exists, established by all the competition's hard-working volunteers, staff and life members.
"We have one of the top hot-beds of juniors in the country and it's my job to put them in a position to best succeed and fulfil their sporting dreams."
Following his retirement, after 368 first grade matches and 12 internationals for Fiji, Sims transitioned into work with the Mental Health Movement - alongside fellow rugby league players Dan Hunt and Chris Houston.
"A lot of the skills Dan, Chris and the team at MHM instilled in me over the past 18 months will be ones I have for the rest of my life and can integrate into my work with Group Seven," said Sims, whose Group Seven competition this year teamed up with the MHM.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them, where I was very proud to travel around Australia to help create, develop and maintain mentally healthy, supportive workplaces.
"They do an exceptional job in facilitating workshops and I have no doubt they'll only get bigger in years to come."
As much as he loved working with the MHM team, the 36-year-old admits he always harboured a dream to one day working in rugby league administration - especially where it all started for him in the 1990s as a Gerringong Lion.
So when Debbie Rowley decided to resign in June, Sims started to weigh up his options - especially after phone calls from Group Seven president Scott McLaurin and long-time friend Allan 'Squeaker' Carroll, who is a Shellharbour Sharks committee and Group Seven board member.
"This opportunity all started from an impromptu phone call from Squeaker, who advised me the operations manager position had opened up and that a lot of people, including himself, had put my name forward for the role," he said.
"I felt very humbled and blessed to have my name put forward and I'm going to do my best to make them all proud.
"I'm so lucky to have people like Squeaker on my side supporting me, because, to be honest, I've been overwhelmed with the response of my friends and family all over the world since accepting the position.
"It also meant a lot to have someone like Scotty, who's got an exceptional footy brain, reach out to me and now I really look forward to learning from him and the other board members.
"It's great to know I have people in my corner and I can't wait to get to work and make Group Seven the premier rugby league competition in NSW and Australia."
As disappointing as it is to have his junior and senior competitions sidelined at the moment due to the Greater Sydney COVID-19 lockdown, Sims is going to use this extra time to his advantage.
"It's obviously a tough time to be starting my role but as I've always done, I'm going to take the challenge head-on," he said.
"It's a super exciting time to get involved and I can't wait to hit the ground running.
"I've already touched base with all the board members and my first port of call will be getting in contact with each and every one of our great clubs.
"I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything but I'm open to listening to fresh and constructive ideas and with everyone's help, I'm sure we can help the competition strengthen and reach even greater heights."
Having witness firsthand how beneficial Group Seven can be on someone's life, Sims has big goals for the South Coast rugby league competition.
"First and foremost, I want to grow the game that has given me so much in life - I am forever grateful for everything rugby league has given me," the Kiama High School alumnus said.
"I want both junior and senior participation numbers, especially in those Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands clubs, to improve, because those areas are such key parts of our competition.
"While I know there are challenges, such as other sports and technology, there's always room for growth and there's no reason why we couldn't have more teams enter the competition in years to come and potentially even expand first grade down the track - the optimistic version of me would love to have 12 one day.
"The key to that is nurturing those junior international ages so that when they get to the under 18s, kids are still loving their footy and if they don't achieve their NRL or NRLW goals, they still want to be involved in rugby league - be it as whatever level they choose.
"That aspect is why I love our competition so much because the women's league tag adds a whole new dimension to us and creates pathways that other sports don't.
"Having two sisters that have played rugby league, including Ruan who has captained Australia, I understand this sport is for everyone and would love to gauge the interest of a tackle competition.
"It's a seed I'd like to plant among all the clubs in the coming months and see if it can evolve because the women's league tag participation numbers right now are as big as we've ever seen."
Even though he bleeds red, white and blue, Sims acknowledges all decisions will be made for the greater good of Group Seven.
"Although I'm a Gerringong Lion at heart, I've got a foot in many camps - I live in Warilla, my son Kobe plays with Shellharbour, I work in Kiama and I want to move to Mollymook - meaning there will be absolutely no favouritism to anyway, as the competition needs all clubs being strong if it wants to flourish," he said.
"All the decisions Scott [McLaurin], the Group Seven board and I make will be with everyone's best interests at heart, which align with our competition's values and morals.
"I acknowledge I will have to make tough calls from time to time but everything I do will be for the betterment of our evolving game while respecting and honouring the past to ensure our bright future.
"I can't wait to start and I'm going to do my best to make a positive impact on each and every person in the competition."
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Courtney Ward
Sports Journalist for South Coast Register and Milton-Ulladulla Times, who loves all things sport and travel. All views are my own.
Sports Journalist for South Coast Register and Milton-Ulladulla Times, who loves all things sport and travel. All views are my own.
