From his stampeding runs in the green and gold, to his big hits in the State of Origin arena, former Cooma junior Brett White is set to return to where it all began.
One of the most respected forwards of the modern era, White will don another treasured jersey this Saturday when he runs out for the Cooma Stallions in their blockbuster clash with Eden.
The rugby league star headlines a mammoth day for the club who will celebrate Cooma's rich product line of league talent with their Locals to Legends gala night following the afternoon's action.
White's last match at the Cooma Showground was for an under 16 Colt's side but come 4.30pm Saturday the 196 game NRL veteran said he is excited to be back in town to help promote the sport he loves.
"It's starting to build into an event. I'm looking forward to it," White said.
"The committee has done a great job in getting this together. It'll be a celebration of what the junior club has done."
The Cooma Hotel will play host to the event on Saturday, June 13, with White to be joined by a number of our local league legends. Current NRL player Sam Williams and under 20 Canberra Raiders players Jack Williams and Thomas Cronan will be on hand for a question and answer style event.
Excitement is building amongst the Group 16 competition for White's one-off appearance with the occasion set to attract the largest crowd of the season to the showground.
White played for the Melbourne Storm for the majority of his NRL career before linking up with the Raiders in 2011 for four seasons. He developed into one of the club's elder statesmen and following his retirement at the end of last season, he made the transition into an off-field role at the Raiders.
An integral part of the National Youth Competition's coaching staff, White has seen the emergence of two Cooma locals in Jack Williams and Thomas Cronan.
"Both are talented young footballers. They certainly have the opportunity ahead of them to make in into the NRL. Both have the talent,." White said.
"I love the role I'm in now, working in this area, especially with the young guys."
In what shapes as an important match for the Stallions against the third placed Eden side, White praised the work of the Stallions and Colt's committees to organise the footy gala night.
"To tell you the truth when I decided to make the call on retiring I said I wouldn't play locally. But credit to the committee and credit to Mark Williams [Stallions vice president] for their energy and drive."
"It's [Locals to Legends] good for the club and it's good for the community."
With a host of league talent on hand for the occasion, the Stallions will auction off Parramatta, Titans, Dragons, Roosters and Raiders training gear and jerseys, as well as White's one-off signed Stallions jersey. Tickets are available at the door for $20 with proceedings to kick off from 6.30pm.
