The western area is renowned for producing elite rugby league talent and, in a new series, we'll be bringing you the stories of those stars.
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Every Monday, we'll have tales of western juniors who now play in the NRL or NRLW, their rise to the top, memories of bush footy and what the 2024 season holds.
This week we caught up with Coonamble junior and Cronulla Sharks centre, Jesse Ramien.
It's hard to find two places more different than Coonamble and Cronulla.
From the red earth and farming to the picturesque beaches and crashing waves, there's very little to link the two.
But one of the few connections between the country and the coast is both locations are considered home to Jesse Ramien.
A Coonamble Bears junior, Ramien is now preparing for his eighth NRL season, and his seventh as a Cronulla Shark.
The powerhouse centre admits he has to pinch himself sometimes when thinking about just how far he's come.
"It's been a real journey. Every kid who puts on a footy jersey dreams of one day playing the big leagues," he said.
"What a journey it has been and I'm still continuing on it, it's been unreal so far."
Despite being just 26 years old, Ramien has played 122 matches in the NRL for the Sharks and Newcastle Knights.
Having racked up plenty of representative honours during his junior career at Coonamble, Ramien was snapped up by the Manly Sea Eagles and played under 20s there in 2014 and 2015 before moving to Cronulla midway through the next year.
He quickly marked himself one to watch by earning selection for the Junior Kangaroos and NSW under 20s State of Origin side.
He made his NRL debut in 2017 - the year after the Sharks' drought-breaking premiership win - and aside from one disappointing year at Newcastle in 2019 he's been a big part of the club's push towards another title.
The barnstorming ball-runner has 47 career tries to his name and has impressed in the past two years when the Sharks have made finals.
A run deep into the finals has still evaded the side but with halfback Nicho Hynes having developed into one of the best players in the NRL since joining the Sharks and coach Craig Fitzgibbon's fingerprints all over the side, Ramien feels there's something building in the Shire.
More Cronulla success would be enjoyed out west given the region's connection to the club.
Dubbo's David Peachey was a fan favourite in the late 1990s and early 2000s while Wellington's Blake Ferguson played there, Parkes junior Billy Burns recently joined, and Bathurst's Will Kennedy is currently establishing himself as an elite fullback with the club.
"We know each other quite well," Ramien said of his relationship with Kennedy.
"Bubba (Kennedy's father) and I played with each other in my first few knockouts.
"It's pretty crazy to be able to lace up the boots with Will's old man and we've got Braydon Trindall down here as well."
Trindall, originally from the state's north, is another who's been a regular teammate of Ramien at knockout time.
The former Coonamble Bear fell just short of Koori Knockout glory this year as his Wiradjuri Aboriginal Rivers side was beaten by Walgett in the final of the annual October long weekend carnival.
As special as the knockout is each year, Ramien was pleased to get some much-needed time off after the massive event.
"We just had a little bub so me and the family shot up the coast to Byron Bay and Port Macquarie for a bit," he said.
"It was good to get away for a bit after the knockout."
While it's been some time since the former Manly under 20s player ran around the fields of the western area, he did have an interest when his brother Brydon spent time in Group 10 and 11.
Brydon played with Forbes and Cowra before being a key figure in Dubbo CYMS' run to the 2022 Peter McDonald Premiership grand final.
A proud Wiradjuri man, Ramien is often travelling back to the region to visit schools and help promote health and welfare initiatives, something he enjoys doing.
"When I talk to young boys and girls I just tell them that home is always going to be there, you can go and move out and have a crack at whatever you want," he said.
"There are a lot more opportunities when you move away but if doesn't work out then you can always go back, at least you had a go and a crack."