His mum said it, his dad said it, and his coach said it, too; Cody Ramsey's National Rugby League breakthrough can be put down to one thing - determination.
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He's the first on the training paddock and he's the last to leave.
He's always putting in extra work away from the field, and it's been that way for as long as anyone who knows the former Cabonne Roo, Orange CYMS and Manildra Rhinos' livewire can remember.
The 20-year-old Molong product will make his long-awaited NRL debut at 3pm on Saturday when the Dragons host the Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium.
It's a match that has little 2020 implications for a St George Illawarra outfit set to miss out on the finals, but it's a huge clash for a bus load of Ramsey faithful travelling to Wollongong from the Central West.
Ramsey's mother Kim Stojanov couldn't contain herself on Tuesday after she found out her son would make his debut.
"I just couldn't stop crying," Stojanov said.
"I was crying for about three hours and I just couldn't speak to him because I was so overcome with emotion. It's been a long haul for Cody and he's worked so, so, so hard."
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Not only has Ramsey himself put in an immense amount of work over the years, so has the entire family and that's what made the call-up even more special.
"It's all happened together," she said.
"As a family we've worked so hard and it's been so difficult for myself and his sisters because we haven't seen him since February."
And while his mother will be able to see him in action, NRL-enforced COVID-19 restrictions mean she won't be able to give her son a hug.
"The hardest thing for me is I can't touch him ... that's going to break my heart," she said.
Ramsey will debut on the wing in place of the dropped Mikaele Ravalawa. Even though the two outside backs are polar opposites, Jamie Ramsey thinks his son will slot in perfectly.
"They're obviously a different style of player but the game's fairly quick at the moment with the rule changes so it might suit him," he said.
"His primary position is fullback but he's played a lot of wing in his career and he certainly knows what to expect."
