The end is nigh at South Sydney for unheralded forward Eddy Pettybourne but the 24-year-old is desperate to stretch out his time at the club for at least another three games to the NRL grand final.
In a pack littered with big names and reputations, the quietly-spoken Pettybourne is happy to sit in the background allowing others to take the headlines, simply getting on with his job.
The New Zealander will leave Souths at the end of this season to join Wests Tigers, with the joint-venture offering him a lucrative three-year contract in June which Souths were unable to match.
It brings down the curtain on a decade-long association with the Rabbitohs and Pettybourne has seen first hand how much the club has progressed since his debut in a round 19 win over North Queensland in 2007 – the last year Souths played in the finals.
“It’s been great to have been around the club over the last few years and watch it grow,” Pettybourne told AAP.
“I am sad to be leaving, but being a part of a Souths team that’s in the finals after so long is something I very proud of.”
Coach Michael Maguire has been instrumental in Souths’ success this year, his attention to detail and reliance on sports science are a core part of his methods and according to Pettybourne a demonstration of how things have changed at the one-time cash-strapped club.
“We now train at Redfern Oval, have great facilities and can train here at night under lights when he have to,” Pettybourne said.
“When I first started out we were at Erskineville Oval, it was a bit out of the way, old and not that great to be honest.
“But each year we have grown as a club and as a team and Madge (Maguire) has come in taken us another step forward.
“We’re in the finals now and going to Melbourne where we believe we have a real chance of winning.”