A 26-year-old carpenter from Brisbane has been handed a chance of a lifetime with a fulltime contract at the Cronulla Sharks in 2022. Hooker Jayden Berrell looked to have missed the boat when it came to a career in the NRL after battling away in the Queensland Cup in recent seasons. But the crafty hooker won the Petero Civoniceva Medal for best player in the Intrust Super Cup competition this year - and that suddenly opened doors. "Cronulla showed some interest and Jayden jumped at it," Berrell's manager, former dual international Mat Rogers. "He was just so determined to make it. He would go to the gym at the crack of dawn, then go to work, then drive from the Gold Coast to Brisbane to train with his team, Wynnum Manly. "And he juggled all that with a wife and two kids so it's a wonderful story. Craig Fitzgibbon has been fantastic to deal with and really took to Jayden. "The fact that he got a deal at my old club Cronulla makes it all that much sweeter for me." A former Australian Schoolboy, Berrell is most at home at hooker but can also play lock. "Going from juggling football in with fulltime work, it is a great opportunity for him and shows what hard work can do," Rogers said.
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