There haven’t been too many positives to come out of Ballymore so far this year, but Ben Matwijow’s story might be the exception to the rule.

The 26-year old toiled away in Sydney club rugby for more than half a decade before finally getting a crack at Super Rugby with the Queensland Reds this year.

“It’s been a pretty crazy few months to be honest and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’m really thankful to have been given the opportunity,” he told Rugby News.

The Northern Suburbs lock had been a stand out in Sydney’s Shute Shield for several years but despite training stints with the Rebels and Force, he failed to attract any serious attention from Super Rugby clubs.

On the back of a strong NRC season with NSW Country, Matwijow signed with ITM Cup side Canterbury midway through last year and hasn’t looked back since.

The 26-year old gave up his job as an accountant in Sydney and played a starring role in Canterbury’s ITM Cup premiership.

“The ITM Cup has always been a competition that I thought was the perfect stepping stone to Super Rugby and I’ve always wanted to play in it. I watched a lot of it on TV and always thought ‘how good is this’ so when the opportunity came up, I jumped at it,” he said.

“I think my game improved ten folds when I was in New Zealand. The Crusaders system is unbelievable, they just breed quality footballers so I took a lot out of the experience.”

As he prepared to return to the daily grind in Sydney, he received a phone call from Brisbane. An injury to returning Wallaby lock Kane Douglas had left a spot open on the Reds roster for 2016, alongside Rob Simmons, Cadeyrn Neville and a host of young Queensland stars.

“Being from NSW, I never thought the Reds would come knocking but I just embraced the challenge of it and went up there looking to mate the most of it.”

“I knew where I sat in the pecking order but my goal was to be pushing for a spot in the starting side, I didn’t want to go up there and just make up the numbers. I thought if I was doing it, I was going to have a real crack and try and earn some game time.”

Ironically, he returned to Sydney to make his debut off the bench against the Waratahs in round one.

“To make my debut down in Sydney, it was pretty perfect. It was a nerve-racking 24 hours leading into the game but all the boys were really supportive. It was good to get a few minutes and settle into the game,” he said.

Matwijow now has 11 Super Rugby caps to his name and despite the dramas that have surrounded him at Ballymore throughout the year, the lock speaks fondly about his stint at the Reds.

“At the end of the day, we are there to play football so all we could do was go out and play every weekend and put our best effort in. There was a lot going on, but we just kept our heads down and kept working hard,” he said.

“Before this year, I don’t think I ever realised how much you had to put into being a professional rugby player. There are a lot of sacrifices and it’s not just how you perform in matches, a lot goes into the mental preparation and the physical side of things is very tough.

“Generally I think my skills have improved and the technical side of my game is a lot better. At training, I’m jumping in lineouts against Rob Simmons, he’s one of the best in the world, so you are learning every session.”

The 26-year old returned to Sydney earlier this month and will play with Northern Suburbs in the coming weeks, before heading back over the ditch for another crack at the ITM Cup.

“I’m heading over to Taranaki in about six weeks for the ITM Cup season. It’s another opportutnity, a different climate. They’ve got some good coaches there with Colin Cooper so it should be another good experience. I just want to play more football and develop my skills even further.

“I haven’t had any offers for next season as yet, so all I can do is focus on playing good footy in the next few months and take everything as it comes,” he said.

While he admits he has a desire to play more Super Rugby, Matwijow seems content and said he’d be happy to play rugby just about anywhere.

“Whatever comes next, it doesn’t take away from the year I’ve had. I know it’s cliche, but it really has been a dream come true.

“I took a chance, gave it my all and I’ve loved every minute of it.”