Solomone Foketi left Tonga for New Zealand in his early twenties, aiming to become a rugby union fullback.
He later settled in Auckland and switched to league, but a language barrier stopped a possible opportunity with the Warriors system.
"He almost had a crack with the Warriors system but he had a language barrier and that ended up falling through," Salesi Foketi explained.
Now 22, Salesi is preparing for his first grand final with the Sydney Roosters, against Newcastle at Accor Stadium on Sunday.
"This is not only my dream," Foketi told AAP. "It's my dad's dream as well."
Solomone's only son among four children, Foketi said he grew up with a football in hand and backyard training sessions, with his sisters holding tackle pads.
He joined the Roosters as a teenager, making a leap similar to his father's move from Tonga.
A tattoo on Foketi's left arm reflects his Tongan roots and includes Isaiah 6:8: "Here I am, send me," a verse he says guides him to trust God.
Foketi joins weekly Bible study sessions with Roosters teammates. With church potentially taking a back seat during grand final preparations, he said: "Luckily enough, church isn't a place, it's the people."