Sam Verrills scored the opening try of the NRL Grand Final after paying a heartbreaking tribute to his brother who committed suicide.
Verrills, 20, scored the first try for the Sydney Roosters, giving them the lead against the Canberra Raiders on Sunday night.
But the moment will have been bittersweet for the star – who is the youngest player taking part in the game.
Verrills was preparing for a junior footy match in Manly when his brother Jack took his own life five years ago.
Having fulfilled a childhood dream by making his professional debut this year, Sam wears tape around his wrist with his brother’s initials during every game – and is doing so again in the final.
Sam Verrills (right) scored the opening try of the NRL Grand Final after paying a heartbreaking tribute to his brother who committed suicide
The Verrills family will be out in force to support Roosters player Sam on Sunday, but the loss of his brother Jack will be keenly felt. Pictured: Jack, top left, and Sam, bottom left, with their dad, Mark, second from left, back row, their mother, Kimberly, second from right back row, and brothers Billy, top right, and Oliver, bottom middle
Sam is a hooker for the Sydney Roosters, and if he takes the field on Sunday, he will be the youngest player there (pictured: Sam with girlfriend Jade)
Sam wears his brother’s initials on wrist tape every week, and will do so again on Sunday
His father Mark told The Daily Telegraph Jack was an inspiration to Sam when he was growing up, and his legacy continues to motivate and inspire the hooker.
‘Sam owes a lot to Jack,’ he said.
‘He was a hooker too and he showed him the tricks of the trade.
‘He wishes his brother was here to see him now, like we all do.’
Jack was a promising footballer himself, playing in junior grades for Manly, before he broke his back, leaving him unable to return to the field.
He recovered and found a steady job driving ferries on the Northern Beaches, but had begun suffering severe bouts of depression.
Mark contacted his work’s helpline to seek advice on how to support his son with his mental health.
Jack (pictured) was a promising footballer himself before a back injury took him off the field
When he told Jack they should go to the doctor, the 20-year-old said he would in the next week.
‘Well, next week never came,’ Mark told the Sunday Telegraph in June.
Jack’s body was found in his bedroom at their family home about 7am one morning in February 2015.
Just hours after he found out his brother had died, Sam, then captain of Manly’s under-16 side, played a game and even scored two tries.
In June, Sam said his brother will always be an inspiration to him.
‘He would go 100 per cent without any care for his body. He knows how important footy was to me, he loved the fact that I played footy and wanted to make it a career. He would have been very happy with how far I have come now,’ Sam said.
The Verrills family are incredibly close, and all are rugby league fanatics (pictured is mum Kimberley with her four sons). Last week, when the Roosters took on the Storm to secure their place in the Grand Final, Sam’s parents Kimberley and Mark brought some of Jack’s ashes to the game
The Sydney Roosters hooker lost his brother, Jack, to suicide when he was just 15 years old. He wears wrist tape with ‘JV’ written on to every game in his memory
Though Sam continues to struggle with the loss of his brother, he wants to keep his memory alive.
‘I speak about it when people ask me. People kind of come up to me and feel uncomfortable asking me, but I will speak about it because my brother was a great guy. I thought he loved his life but one silly error …’
Mark says Jack would have been first in line to get a ticket.
‘Nothing would have stopped him going,’ Mr Verrills said.
Last week, the family took some of Jack’s ashes with them to the Roosters game against Melbourne Storm, Nine News reported.
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Sam’s mum has been wearing her Roosters supporters scarf all week in anticipation of the game
Jack suffered from severe bouts of depression. His body was found in his bedroom at their family home at about 7am in February 2015