On Wednesday morning the Sydney Roosters' Centre of Excellence welcomed back a prodigal son - 2013 Premiership-winning halfback Mitchell Pearce.
Back in Australia to reconnect with family and friends from his time in the English Super League playing for Catalans, the 33-year-old was on hand in the early hours to impart some words of wisdom to the Club's Academy players.
Pearce Meets the Academy
The fledgling Academy members were all ears when Pearce spoke about his career at the Club - one that began as a 17-year-old steering around a side including the likes of Craig Fitzgibbon, Anthony Minichiello and Craig Wing.
Following a quick Q&A, the group then headed down to E.S Marks for a field session, overseen by none other than his two former teammates and the Club's Academy CEO and Head Coach, Mitchell Aubusson and Jake Friend.
"I spoke to Aubo and he just reached out and asked if I could come in and have a bit of a chat," Pearce said about his visit.
"I keep in touch with him and Friendy and a lot of my good mates from here anyway, but I was always more than happy to come in.
"I played here for a long time and it was great to have a chat with some of the Club's young up-and-coming players."
The Roosters mean a whole lot to me. I played here for a long time and I've got memories for life. I arrived when I was 16 and I became a man here. From the front office staff, all the way to the players, there's a lot of friendships I've made here that will stand the test of time.
Mitchell Pearce Sydney Rooster 1072
Stepping foot into the Club's Centre of Excellence in Allianz Stadium for the first time, the veteran no.7 was taken aback by the state-of-the-art facilities the Roosters call home.
While he'll still be lacing up the boots in 2023, Pearce was full of praise for his now-retired teammates and believes they have all the tools to build another dynasty at Moore Park.
"It's a great setup - one of the best in the NRL I've seen, that's for sure," he said.
"Aubo was always destined for something like this. He's always been a professional and he's always been very organised.
"Friendy is a leader isn't he? The boys are doing really well and I think they'll both make good head coaches one day.
"It looks like the Club is putting themselves in a really good place for the future."
A popular figure at Bondi during his tenure between 2007 and 2017, it was no surprise to see the positive reaction from former teammates and staff alike when the man called Junior walked through the door.
After playing over 200 games in the Red, White and Blue, winning a Premiership and creating countless memories, it's clear that the Roosters will always be home for Mitchell Pearce.
"The Roosters mean a whole lot to me," he stated.
"I played here for a long time and I've got memories for life. I arrived when I was 16 and I became a man here.
"From the front office staff, all the way to the players, there's a lot of friendships I've made here that will stand the test of time."
