Born in America and raised in Bathurst, Luke Bain is not your everyday rugby league footballer. With a goal in mind and a plan in place, Luke Bain is building his way to an NRL debut and fulfilling his dream.
"Since I've been a kid I’ve always been a Souths fan so I always looked up to Sam Burgess, he was just an absolute nutcase."
20-year-old Luke Bain is both physically built and mentally strong. Hailing from the USA and raised in Bathurst, Bain chose to support the South Sydney Rabbitohs idolising one of the best and craziest forwards seen to date.
Much like Sam Burgess, Bain specialises in both the prop forward and lock position. In his short career so far, Bain has played at the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Penrith Panthers and now at current NRL side the Parramatta Eels.
On the journey he has won countless country awards at the Western Rams as well as the 2019 Jersey Flegg competition with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
With COVID-19 rearing its ugly head, Bain has been in the gym and bettering his footballing ability, so its only a matter of time until the Eels unleash the beast that is Luke Bain.
Bain was born in New Hampshire in the USA. A state which borders Massachusetts and is five hours out from Ottawa, Canada. His mum was born in America and met his Scotland-born dad as they studied together at college. Bain and his parents moved to Bathurst as his father received a job offer at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
In his junior years, Bain started out playing soccer. He played it in his primary years until he was kicked off the team for tackling too hard. Giving soccer away, he was pushed towards the game of rugby league by a close family friend, and since then, has not looked back.
"I started playing soccer when I was quite young, I was always to rash for it, I remember I got kicked off a team for tackling too much."
Starting his junior rugby league at local club Bathurst Panthers, Bain was highly regarded by his counterparts. Recognised for his performances, Bain made his first representative appearance for the Western Rams at the age of 16.
However, Bain believes he wasn't naturally blessed with great footballing ability, yet it was through hard work and a killer work ethic that got him that selection.
"I barely made it, I was small and underweight and just pushed my way through, worked hard and that’s when I thought I may as well give footy a crack."
Bain became the captain of the Western Ram's under 18's side for the 2017/18 competition. He lead the Rams throughout the country championship competition collecting the player's player award at the end of the season.
This run of form introduced Bain as one of the top prospects out of the country division. At the young age of 18, Bain was already receiving interest from some of the NRL's most famous clubs.
"Coming from the country you don’t really expect to get this sort of opportunity, its quite surreal and makes it feel like all the hard work is really paying off."
The phone call which changed Bain's life came from his manager. A trial game played at Belmore Oval in Sydney's west would see the Canterbury Bulldogs play his favourite team, the South-Sydney Rabbitohs.
"My manager rang me one day and said theres a trial at Belmore against the Bulldogs, I would be playing for the Souths."
After supporting the Bunnies throughout his whole life, Bain would make his first start for his beloved team.
At 18 years old, Luke Bain received a two year contract with the South Sydney Rabbitohs. His first year would start at the Jersey Flegg level, a competition consisting of NRL clubs made up of rostered under 20 players. A competition which has created a pathway for junior players to showcase their talents and prove their ability.
It was Bain's first professional season at the Rabbitohs which announced him as one of the most promising forwards in the Jersey Flegg competition. Bain played 20 games including 1,619 total running metres at an average of 81 metres a game.
Alongside current South Sydney players Blake Taafe, Lachlan Illias and Peter Mamouzelos, Bain assisted his side to a fourth placed finish and a finals berth. After beating the St George Dragons, the Cronulla Sharks and the Penrith Panthers, he and his compatriots were into the grand final against fifth placed side, the Canberra Raiders.
In a tight contest which saw both teams exchanging leads, the South Sydney Rabbitohs won the game 16-14, a game which Bain would never forget.
After playing with the Bathurst Panthers as a junior, it was only fitting that Bain would make his way to the Penrith Panthers in 2020. As a club which has become home to a plethora of quality country players over it's years, Bain was welcomed with open arms.
"Its why you get so many good young talents coming out of Penrith, they’ve just got that culture around them."
Bain's time at Penrith was short after COVID-19 impacted reserve grade and junior rugby league, yet, it was the learnings and footballing knowledge collected off the field which Bain took in his stride.
Sourcing insight from the players around him, Bain pinpointed Zane Tetevano and Spencer Leniu are the key influencers at his time in Penrith.
"Zane Tetevano was great before he went to the super league, just doing video with him, he would just help me with anything I wasn’t sure of and great at the time."
"Five years time... I’d love to be, and theres a lot of work to be done, but an established first grade player at the Parramatta Eels."
With 2022 now on the horizon, leaving behind a dismal 2021, Bain has full focus on his third NRL club, the Parramatta Eels. A team in which he hopes to be one that will give him that much anticipated NRL debut game.
However, he knows that there work to be done.
Ingrained into Bain's core is the ability to stop at nothing to get what he wants. In a bid to make his debut, Bain has been in the gym and out on the paddock over this past lockdown period, training his skills and becoming a bigger and better rugby league footballer.
"Throughout Covid I’ve been doing conditioning programs and doing five days a week in the gym, I know I've got a lot of work to do."
Luke Bain has all the attributes, both mentally and physically, to become one of the greatest forward's we have seen. Born in America and raised from Bathurst, Bain has been brought up around a unique history, however, it is now time for him to build his own footballing legacy.