Young Norths’ backrower Boston Kerapa wasn’t sure what to expect in his first season of grade in 2022. 

But one thing he did know was that he was fit. 

“My goal at the start of the year was to make my first grade debut but I didn’t expect it to happen in round one, or to go on and play almost every game,” Kerapa told Rugby News during ‘smoko’ on the work site. 

“Leading into last season, I started to enjoy my training a lot more. To be honest, it wasn’t even really about footy, I just started to train harder and feel really good all the time. 

“I found that there was nothing better than patting yourself on the back after getting through something really miserable and that’s something I hadn’t experienced before 2021. 

“I was the fittest and strongest I’d ever been heading into preseason and that meant I could actually enjoy the hard slog over summer because I’d already put in the work.”

Kerapa described himself as a late bloomer on the rugby scene. He played his junior rugby for the Nelson Bay Gropers in the Newcastle Hunter competition but didn’t make a rep side until the under 18s. 

That year, he was picked in the NSW Country U18s, then played his way into the NSW Schools 2nd XV after impressing earlier that year for CHS. 

“I’d spoken to a few different clubs, but I had a mates that had already decided that they were heading to Norths so I ended up getting in contact with the club myself. 

“They arranged a meeting for me with the first grade coach at the time, which was Nick Hensley, and he actually travelled from North Sydney all the way up to Newcastle to meet with me. 

“We met in a Macca’s on the Pacific Highway and I was blown away that he’d gone to that much effort for a guy looking to play colts. 

“I thought if everyone is that sort of person at the club, then that’s where I want to be.”

Kerapa moved down to Sydney a month out from the start of the 2020 colts season, but things didn’t quite go to plan once he arrived. 

“I moved to Sydney on March 4 and literally two weeks later Covid hit. I started my apprenticeship the next day and worked all the way through it but all my mates that I was living with didn’t have jobs so they all packed up and moved home,” he said. 

“I was by myself for three or four months so it was unreal when we finally got to play that 10-round competition at the end of 2020. I loved playing colts footy.”

Things looked on the up for young Kerapa after his first season in Sydney, but luck soon deserted him once again when he lost the tip of two of his fingers in a workplace accident. 

“I lost all my confidence after the injury and had to learn how to pass and catch a ball again. I just fell out of love with footy and training and wasn’t really enjoying it. 

“But then we had the 2021 lockdown and I was back on my own. Something clicked at that point and I just started training really hard. 

“Initially I used it as an outlet, like a lot of people did during lockdown, but I started to push myself harder and harder. 

“Over those months, I couldn’t think of anything better than being sweaty and miserable.”

And that paid off come footy season.

Kerapa made his first grade debut in round one for Norths and featured in all but one match in 2022, which he missed through concussion. 

He was unlucky not to win the Shute Shield rookie of the year award and quickly earned the respect of opposition players and coaches. 

“Probably the biggest eye opener from my first year was that everyone is playing injured. There are so many broken bodies on the field each week and you just have to find a way to pick yourself up and go again the next Saturday. That’s what the Shute Shield is all about. 

“There’s no taking time off for a sore elbow. If you want to miss games or training, then you’ll end up in third grade.”

Kerapa said his immediate focus was on Norths and his apprenticeship, which he’ll finish later this year, but he said he definitely had a desire to play rugby professionally. 

First though, he wants to win a Shute Shield with Norths. 

The Shoremen were minor premiers in 2022 but were upset by Gordon in last year’s preliminary final after being arguably the most consistent team all season. 

“A lot of people said that finals footy is such a different beast, but at the end of the day, it’s still just another game on the same size field we’ve been playing on all year” Kerapa said. 

“I think we probably put too much emphasis on it being finals time, instead of just looking to do what we’d consistently done for most of the season. 

“We learnt from that though and I’m pretty confident we won’t make that mistake again this season.”

Norths open their season against defending premiers Sydney Uni on April 1.