It's been a few years since commentator Matt Russell first screamed out "RAMIEN! Jesse Ramien on Debut!" in a round 26 match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Newcastle Knights, but in the years that have followed, Coonamble boy Jesse Ramien has forged an NRL career that many can only dream of.

Ramien debuted for Cronulla back in 2017 at the age of 20 and made it known early he was one to watch for the future, scoring a spectacular try early in the second half enroute to a debut win.

Fast forward five years to Round 3 of 2023, and Jesse's performance in his 100th match looked eerily similar to his 1st, crossing over for yet another try early in the second half.

And looking back 100 games later, Jesse still pinches himself that his boyhood dream came true.

"It feels unreal," said Jesse. "It was always a dream to play one NRL game, let alone notching up 100 under my belt."

"And it's sort of a surreal experience, for myself and the family, and everyone who's been a part of the journey along the way."

Jesse started his footballing career learning the game with the Coonamble Bears.

"I pretty much fell in love with the game from a young age, my old man (Kristern) was the captain and coach of the local team," said Jesse.

"Ever since I could remember I've been around footy and it's taken me to where I am today."

"Everything that I've sort of gotten or done has probably been thanks to rugby league and the opportunities its given me."

Jesse and dad Kristern run a quick coaching session with Under 8 year olds in Coonamble in 2019. PHOTO: Coonamble Times

However, the journey to the NRL is far from easy.

"It takes a lot, there's a lot of sacrifice and dedication to the sport that you need to have," said Jesse.

"In order to be where I am today I had to move away from home at a young age."

"I sacrificed spending time with family and friends in order to better myself and make a career out of football professionally."

Encouraging youngsters in Coonamble, April 2019. IMAGE: Coonamble Times

Following a successful 2018 campaign at the Sharks where he secured the right centre position as his own, Jesse moved up the coast to the Steel City to play for the Newcastle Knights.

However, the stint at Newcastle wasn’t to last and in 2020 Jesse headed back to Cronulla where he been playing since, busting tackles and crashing over for tries.

His career is also highlighted by three representative games for the Indigenous Australia All-Stars.

"Some advice is just to work hard, it's always going to beat talent," said Jesse.

"You see some people that are probably not the most talented people in the world, but they’ve got where they are through dedication and hard work."

"I feel like if you're a hard worker and you dedicate yourself to a dream or to an opportunity, then you can pretty much do anything and chase any goal."