Snakes to super sub: Chee Kam's finals debut that almost went unnoticed

When Michael Chee Kam stepped onto Allianz Stadium in the 60th minute of one of the wildest NRL finals in history, the news that the 30-year-old was making his long-awaited finals debut after nine years in first-grade almost went unnoticed.

Named as the Rabbitohs' 18th Man for Sunday's Elimination Final, Chee Kam fully expected his duties to be over after South Sydney's warmups, sitting on the bench for 60 minutes before Thomas Burgess was taken from the field and Jason Demetriou's side were given the green light to utilise their 18th Man.

“When Tom came off, I was just sitting there watching the game and then when one of our managers told me I was activated, I didn't realise it was possible at that point,” Chee Kam told NRL.com.

“It was funny. I don’t usually, but I had like five snakes to eat; I was just feeling a bit low on energy so thought I’d smash some lollies.

"Then as soon as they said I was activated, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how full of snakes I was.

“I mean, I’m always ready no matter what, but I was so invested in the game I sort of forgot that I could be going out there too.

“I’ll remember that forever, just going from watching the physicality to being a part of it. I just couldn’t believe the contact, I guess it just showcased how much the two teams hate each other.”

The cheeky humour aside, the athletic back-rower's long-awaited opportunity to play past the first week of September isn't far from a miracle after injury consistently put his career in doubt this season.

Since debuting for Manly over eight years ago, Chee Kam has only played 98 NRL games in that time — including just four this season — after battling injury and adversity throughout the year. Back and hand injuries have forced the former Wests Tiger to spend more time in the rehab room than he would have liked in 2022, with the forward thanking those around him for refusing to allow him to throw the towel in on his career.

“During my first game for Souths in Round 1 all my back leg went numb because one of the discs in my back was pinching a nerve and I had to get surgery which sat me out for most of the season,” he reflected.

“Then, when I returned in Round 17 against Newcastle, I broke my thumb in the first tackle, I strapped it up and kept playing but in the last ten minutes, my pinkie on the other hand dislocated and came out of the skin.

“Injuries are always pretty hard to accept and I feel like I've had my share of bad luck but a lot of things that have helped me through my career and having my son in October last year really gave me a new drive.

“Coming home from a hard day at training and rehab and just seeing the smile that he always has for me when I come up the stairs... it doesn’t matter how you were feeling, it just changes your whole perspective on everything.

“There’s more to life than just footy. When I first did my back, I wasn’t really thinking about footy I was just more worried about picking up my son."

Having battled homesickness and injury throughout his 20's, Chee Kam said the resilience and perspective he has found through the tough times is what has enabled him to achieve his goals as he grows older.

“Early in my career when I was getting injured, I found it a lot harder to accept. I had a pretty rough start when I signed my first NRL contract with Manly, I only played like 10 games within those three years,” he said.

“I used to get so down and it really rattled me a lot but now I understand it’s all part of the game.

“I moved from New Zealand in 2008 when I was 17 to play SG Ball for the Storm. Leaving my mum and dad and moving to a big city like Melbourne, I struggled a lot with homesickness.

“But my manager helped me get my Mum and Dad over here and we all lived in Canberra when I was playing under 20s Toyota Cup and they live in Manly now so I’ve been so lucky to have them as a support system.

“I get a lot of inspiration from a lot of people but particularly my family. My brothers, my mum and dad and my wife Alex and especially now my son.”

For Saturday's do-or-die clash against the Cronulla Sharks, Chee Kam has been named on the Rabbitohs interchange bench in place of the suspended Tom Burgess and the 30-year-old said the opportunity to line up in the red and green "is a dream come true".

“As 18th man, you’re still a part of the squad and are involved in everything during the week but knowing I’m starting on the bench I can start preparing myself mentally for the game,” Chee Kam said.

“I’ve only played four games this year and I haven’t played the Sharks so it’s hard to know what to expect but I feel fresh and am ready to do my job for the team.