The other great inspiration for Sloan is his grandmother Colleen. Sloan’s parents have played little part in his life,leaving Colleen to raise Sloan,with some assistance from big brother Ashley. Which is why the 20-year-old was mortified when it was reported incorrectly on social media that Colleen had died.

“I rang my brother straight away,” Sloan said. “I was in hysterics going,‘Is everything all right? What’s going on?’ He was with Nan at the time. It was all good.

“We’re probably a bit of a laughing stock of the NRL at the moment.”

Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan

“That was a big thing about why I was emotional. A couple of mates rang me after the game and asked if everything was all right with Ma;that’s what I call her,Ma.

“It was sweet. I saw her the next day after I got back from Mudgee. She’s very proud of what I’ve been able to achieve;all credit goes to her with whatever I do in my career as a player. Without her,I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Sloan is only 20 years old and 13 games into what has already been a roller-coaster NRL career. The Dapto product has experienced the dizzying heights of making his first-grade debut in his teens,as well as the lows of being dropped. At one point Sloan was so disenchanted thathe asked for an early release to join Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins.

However,in a sign of how much he has matured during the past summer,Sloan has forged a strong relationship with Dragons coach Anthony Griffin,who assured him he will start the season at fullback despite his hiccups in the final trial.

“We had a chat after the Charity Shield – the next morning he came into my room and said,‘You’re going to be the No.1,’” said Sloan,whose main fullback competitor, Cody Ramsey,is sidelined for the entire season due to an inflammatory bowel condition.

“Saying that,it was something I was looking for the last couple of years,but I probably didn’t put in the work for it. I came into pre-season with a totally different mindset;I wanted to earn that respect back. I probably disrespected the club and myself and my family in thinking I earned the jersey without doing anything.

“I had a lot of good chats with some blokes who played a massive part in the Dragons,Anthony Mundine and Nathan Blacklock. The likes of those boys have done it before me and to hear their side of the story,what to expect as a footy player and a blackfella as well,it’s pretty cool.

“This off-season,my main focus was to come in and earn the respect of my teammates. It’s a big year for myself to get an opportunity there,to come back and continue to grow as a player. I’m still only 20 years old – I put a lot of pressure on myself to be someone that I’m not. I’ve got to take it at my pace and keep growing because it’s a lot different to playing backyard or local club footy.”

The Dragons have been involved in a series of off-field scandals since missing the finals last year,including the presentation dinner no-shows,Junior Amone being stood down for an alleged hammer attack and a heatedargument between Zane Musgrove and Mikaele Ravalawa after the Charity Shield loss.

However,Sloan said there are no underlying cultural issues at the Red V.

“We’ve been in a lot this off-season,the stuff with Junes and Mudgee and all of that,we’re probably a bit of a laughing stock of the NRL at the moment,” he said. “The only way to change that is with performances on the field. As a club we are looking to go forward because once we do that,everyone will forget what happened in Mudgee and the pre-season.

“I’ll be honest,this pre-season has been the best since I’ve been there. With everything that’s happened,it hasn’t affected us as a club. It’s all outside noise. We are very strong as a club and the only way to change everyone’s perspective is with performances on the field.

“There is no effect with our culture;we’re a proud club and will get back to where we need to be.”

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