It’s not just the formidable 145kg frame of Nuku Swerling that has captured the hearts of Easts fans but the courageous four-year-old son he plays for.
In just five rounds as a Tiger, Swerling’s thunder from No.8 has made him something of a cult hero at a club renowned for them down the years.
It is one of those rugby stories that is at the heart of the StoreLocal Hospital Cup and what grassroots rugby means.
Late last year, Swerling was set to hang up his boots after a rewarding decade that had taken him to the professional ranks in France after playing for the Australian Under-20s.
He’d bounced from University of Queensland to Bond University in club rugby but something more important was consuming him.
His three-year-old son Paxson needed a liver transplant. Hospital visits and being by his young son’s side were paramount.
“Paxson got a gift on his fourth birthday last August that he will never forget…a new liver,” Swerling said.
“To be honest I wasn’t going to play this season. ‘That’s it for me,’ I was thinking because my son needs me and I’m getting on a bit.”
He could no longer commit to a club based on the Gold Coast and his 31-year-old body might just enjoy the break from the physical style he plays.
“About a week later, (Easts coach) Simon Craig called out of the blue. He was able to work some magic with persuasion,” Swerling said.
He couldn’t commit to a full pre-season but young Paxson’s health started to improve.
The young Swerling is now leading Easts out onto the field at Bottomley Park as their mascot as he will on Saturday when Easts and Brothers meet in a battle of unbeaten teams.
“Paxson is my fuel seeing him on the sidelines. I look for my gear at home and he’s running around in it,” proud dad Nuku said.
“He’s involved in some way in every game. Running down the tunnel with my little man is a special something I’ll never forget.
“I have to thank Easts. The club has made my family feel very welcome and the players bond on and off the field. I’m definitely enjoying the rugby and the Easts crowd giving me energy.
"There's some great young talent coming through at Easts, guys like Nick Bloomfield at prop."
Swerling has been a powerhouse in the club’s revival this year with his forceful carries and physical tackles.
Young Paxson rallying with his health now has the youngster thinking of the day he might be making tackles and running as a Tigers junior.
When coach Craig set about off-season planning he stopped lamenting that the Tigers had gone decades without a big, barnstorming No.8.
“We'd always be talking about not having a No.8 who could really bend the line. I was sick of whinging so we decided to solve it,” Craig said.
“I don’t think the Tigers have ever had a No.8 who carries as strongly as Nuku, certainly not in my memory.
“The Easts juniors really like him. He has a cult status already.”
Even at 145kg, Nuke Swerling is playing for something bigger than himself. It’s the healthy smile he sees at every game on young Paxson’s face.
