Gold Coast Titans hooker Ollie Pascoe is still coming to terms with a moment he’d dreamed about for years.
Running out in Titans colours for the first time, the 26-year-old described his NRL debut as nothing short of surreal.
It was a reward for persistence, belief and a journey that almost took a different path.
“It felt pretty amazing, to be honest,” Pascoe said.
“It was a surreal moment. I felt like everything that I dreamed of kind of happened … being in front of my family and how the game went, it was awesome.”
That moment was made even more special by the people who helped him get there.
Pascoe had a strong contingent in the stands, with family and friends travelling from across New South Wales, including from his hometown of Port Macquarie, and they were all proudly backing him in custom Ollie shirts.
“All my family was pretty much there, and just all my friends,” he said.
“Seeing that was pretty special. It just shows how much they mean to me and how much I mean to them.”
Finding out he’d be making his debut only days before the game added to the whirlwind, with the call coming mid-week.
“It was kind of later in the week (that I found out), Thursday I think it was,” Pascoe said.
“I just wanted to be ready for when it came and it worked out for me and it was a good debut.”
Thrown into the action late in the contest, the hooker made an immediate impact with his instinctive style, which is something he’s built his game on.
“I just play off the cuff,” he said.
“I like to see what’s in front of me and back myself.
"That’s something I’ve learned over the years, that if you don’t take moments and then you look back and think you should have.
“I’ll just keep backing myself and hopefully it pulls off in the future.”
It’s an approach shaped by a long and unconventional path to the NRL.
Originally from country New South Wales, Pascoe didn’t come through traditional elite pathways.
Instead, he worked his way through the Queensland Cup system after earning an opportunity with the Brisbane Tigers, before continuing his development at Wynnum and then Ipswich.
Now, after years of grinding, including time balancing football with his trade as a tiler, he finally earned his shot on the big stage.
“There were times where I thought it might have passed me,” Pascoe admitted.
“Getting older, being a tradie, you think, should I give it away?
“But I had a lot of good people around me telling me to keep pushing. I’m glad I did.”
Pascoe only put the tools down full-time late last year to chase his NRL dream, after originally securing a train and trial deal before quickly being upgraded into the development list.
And while his debut was a milestone moment, the Titans rake knows it’s just the beginning.
“I just want to build off it,” he said.
“Whether that’s back at Cup or another NRL game, I’ll put my best foot forward.”
With a potential clash against the Broncos looming in front of a packed house, the excitement is only building.
“It’ll be unreal,” Pascoe said.
“To get that experience for my second game, that’d be pretty special.”
From country New South Wales to the NRL stage with many stops in between, Pascoe’s journey is a testament to perseverance and hard work.
