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It doesn't take long for Daniel Atkinson to recognise how fortunate he is to be an NRL player.
In fact, all he needs to do is think of his grandparents and the sacrifices they made to provide for their family.
The Cronulla utility's grandparents migrated from Italy in the 1930s in search of a better life, the pair establishing a tobacco farm in Texas on the NSW-Queensland border and toiling away in the harsh Australian conditions.
So when Atkinson is sweating it out on the training paddock, all it takes is one thought of his Nonna and Nonno to remind him of the opportunity in front of him.
"I never got to meet my Nonno, which is something I would have liked to do," Atkinson told NRL.com. "I heard a lot of great stories about him, that he was a tough worker and no job was too big.
"Being around Nonna all the time, no chore was too big. She worked really hard and everything she did was for us. Mum and dad worked so she looked after me, my brother and my cousins. She always had food on the table. You'd say you're full and she'd still feed you to the brim.
"It's pretty special and to know how much it means to my mum. All you ever want to do is make people proud and if I could make my Nonno proud, who I never met, then I'm doing a good job."
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Atkinson settling in nicely
Like so many who migrated to Australia in the 20th century, Atkinson's grandparents sacrificed plenty to set the foundation for their family.
While his Nonno died before he was born, Atkinson's Nonna played a key role in his upbringing.
With both his parents working in Brisbane, Palma stepped in to helped raise her grandchildren.
Nonna and Nonno will be at the front of Atkinson's mind when he turns out for the Sharks when they take on the Raiders on Thursday night in the opening game of Multicultural Round.
"I haven't played in a Multicultural Round before but I've been in the dressing sheds and seen how passionate the boys get about their culture and how much it means to their family," he said. "I'm keen to dive more into my culture, that's for sure.
"The Sharks have shown that whatever culture you come from, there's no greater or smaller culture, everyone's equal and everyone's passionate about their culture.
"I'm Australian and half Italian so to be able to celebrate both, it's something I hold pretty close to me."
Match: Raiders v Sharks
Round 5 -
home Team
Raiders
7th Position
away Team
Sharks
11th Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Atkinson has spent much of his life strengthening his connection to his Italian heritage so he jumped at the opportunity when he got the call to represent Italy at the 2022 World Cup.
The playmaker used the tournament as a chance to form bonds with the Italian players and forge friendships with the other Australian-based players including Eels forward Luca Moretti and Newtown jets prop Brad Fearnley.
"There were a lot of half-Italians so we grew together and we all had the same story," Atkinson said. "We didn't know too much about our roots but we had similarities and we knew what we were playing for and who we wanted to represent.
"The coaching staff wanted us to dive deeper into our roots and we had full Italians in the team which was good to speak a bit more Italian and pick their brains a bit."
At the time, Atkinson had played one game for the Melbourne Storm in 2021 but spent the entirety of 2022 toiling away for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Queensland Cup.
Little did he know, his performances at the World Cup would change the entire trajectory of his career.
Atkinson caught the eye of Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon during Italy's loss to Australia and ultimately earned a contract at Cronulla on the back of the effort.
Since then, he has become a regular in the club's first-grade side and signed a lucrative contract to join the Dragons next year.
While honoured to play for Italy, Atkinson doesn't need to wear the country's jersey to feel connected to his heritage.
The utility is proud to have his Nonno's name Alfonso as his middle name and carries his Italian roots with him every day.
So when he runs on to GIO Stadium on Thursday night, Nonno, Nonna and his entire family will be front of mind.
