CAMERAS panning the players entering the stadium for Saturday’s big kick-off can expect to catch a glistening eye on the face of Chris Sandow.

He says there will be a tear or two not only because of the greatest game of his life about to ensue, but in recognition of the journey he sees himself undertaking as he flies the flag for a small Aboriginal settlement in the Bush – 250km north west of Brisbane.

By his own admission, people from his community – which is regarded by many outsiders as a hostile place – rarely get to taste life outside of Queensland never mind revel on the other side of the world.

With his thrilling high octane brand of football and the ability to deliver match-winning plays – all done with the widest cheekiest grin you could ever wish to see – he has become adored by an army cloaked in primrose and blue that chant his name and serenade him with a party dance on a frequent basis.

As a diminutive scrum half in a big-man’s paradise he is proof that tough things can come in small packages, having left home at 15, faced up to becoming a teenage dad and handled adversity like being kicked out of his first professional club.

A search on the internet for ‘Cherbourg fights’ – showing men and women squaring up in the streets – can provide a snapshot of how difficult times could be where he grew up among seven brothers and a sister.

But having the opportunity to walk out at Wembley is acknowledged by Sandow as stemming from the support and generosity he received from a proud, rugby league-mad but financially-challenged Cherbourg community when his prowess as a player was shaped and honed.

Now, as is integral to the way of life of Australian Aborigines, Sandow is gathering stories to share when his playing days come to an end.

Wire fans will be hoping his Wembley 2016 story will be among his best.

“If you look up Cherbourg on the internet people class it as the most violent community in Australia,” he said.

“I grew up there and everyone’s lovely there. Wherever you go there are some bad people and there are always good people.

“To grow up in Cherbourg, all you wanted to do was play for Cherbourg Hornets.

“I was always making representative teams as a kid, so all my family and the community did a lot of fundraising for me to go away on football trips.

“I’m really grateful to have grown up in the community. If it wasn’t for those people I wouldn’t be here today.

“They like their rugby league. I’m not like a big rugby league star when I go back home. I’m just a Cherbourg boy and I just fit back in.

“Where I’m from, everyone knows how much I love the community and that’s why I have lots of support there. They always talk about where I come from and I’ll never forget it.

“No-one from Cherbourg has done what I’ve done in my career so far. Just to play one NRL game coming from my community is big.

“I played over 150 in the NRL and now I’m making my name over here, spreading the word where I’m from back home in Queensland and Cherbourg.

“Nobody from my community will probably ever see England.

“So I’m here on a journey and when I finish up I’ll have plenty of stories to tell all the kids back home.”

Warrington Guardian:

His desire to better himself was clear when he made a life-changing call as a teenager.

“I moved out of the community when I was 15,” he said.

“I always asked my mum and dad to tell me all the stories, how come they never made it in rugby league and stuff like that, and it always came down to getting a girlfriend from the community and hanging around with the wrong boys.

“Actually, all my mates have done bad things and I used to hang around with the boys.

“My mum sat me down, I told her I wanted to move away to Brisbane and go to school there which is what I did.

“I ended up getting over homesickness. It was tough at the time but once you get over stuff like that you can do anything in your life.”

He gained selection for the Australian Schoolboys tour of England, Wales and France in 2006, revealing he played matches against current teammates Chris Hill, Kevin Penny and Ben Harrison.

Sandow gained a contract with new NRL club Gold Coast Titans but a twist was on the horizon.

“I became a dad at 18,” he said. “That was a real eye opener to me.”

He was kicked out of the Titans for ‘bad behaviour’ but an opportunity arose for him to start afresh with South Sydney Rabbitohs, where he made his NRL debut in a season in which he was named Dally M Rookie of the Year, Indigenous Rising Star of 2008 and Toyota Cup Half Back of the Year.

“It was different growing up back home in the Bush and moving to Sydney to play rugby league,” said Sandow, who moved to Parramatta Eels on a lucrative deal in 2012.

“That was a big change and then coming to England was a big eye-opener for me.

“I’m just doing it for my family. I’ve got a few kids. I’m over here to do a job and I’m really enjoying my time at Warrington Wolves.

“It’s different here. They love you for your style of football and that is something that I thrive on.

“There are a lot of guys in my community who play exactly the same as me, even in other Aboriginal communities in Queensland as well. We play to thrill.

“They have just got to be spotted, but it’s going to be hard to get them out of home.

“People make their own pathway and you’ve got to walk it yourself.

“Looking back, I do regret some things off the field but everything happens for a reason.

“You only live once and something you do is make sure you live with the circumstances.

“I had to deal with stuff. If you hold on to that stuff it will hurt you at the end, so you’ve got to take on the chin whatever you’ve done or live with the circumstances.

“There are always good times ahead when you deal with the bad things.

“It has been a good journey so far, it’s not ended yet.”

Warrington Guardian: