It was a debut so unexpected, his family weren’t even able to make to trip to watch him live, but it’s an experience Broncos rookie Antonio Verhoeven will never forget.
The outside back was named as 19th player on Tuesday for the match against the Titans, but was subbed in with 40 seconds left in the first half for Reece Walsh, who has now been confirmed to have suffered a facial fracture.
“Family's still back in NZ, it was a 50-50 call whether my parents come over, but I talked to them and they said they'll stay,” Verhoeven said following the game.
“(But) they're all at home watching the game (now), so I'll FaceTime them and they're all there, supporting me.
“But I had heaps of support with my homestay as well, they were all there (in the crowd) and my girlfriend's family as well.”
After completing his first ever NRL captain’s run on Friday, many thought his inclusion on the extended six-player bench was for experience, but and eventful and injury-marred 26-12 win to Brisbane saw coach Michael Maguire quick to inject him into the action.
"It is a pretty special story, coming from Greymouth over there in New Zealand," Maguire said.
"Literally three days ago he wasn't sure if he'd even be running around at training because he drops down sometimes with the juniors.
"Three days ago we were telling him, 'you are a chance'. It was just a shame we weren't able to get mum and dad here. That will come at some stage. It was a special moment."
While he has achieved a career milestone, rugby league was not always his main sport, with the lanky outside back relocating from Aotearoa to Brisbane last year after being scouted from a Condor Sevens tournament while at school.
“I was actually playing basketball over in New Zealand at the time and then I played a bit of rugby … it was more basketball, but I did play a little bit of footy growing up back at home," Verhoeven said.
"I moved schools to take interest in basketball at the time, so I stepped away from footy for a couple of years just focusing on basketball ...
“Then one of my mates asked me to do this Condor Sevens for my school ... (and) I'm like, ‘oh yeah, okay, I'll come’.
“I went to (it), I had a tournament in the North Island and there was a Broncos scout there, and he picked me up from there playing Condor Sevens."
Verhoeven played Mal Meninga Cup with the Burleigh Bears last season and this year, made his Hostplus Cup debut this year with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
Having also trained with the NRL squad in the 2026 pre-season, Verhoeven was ready for his top level opportunity, but missed out on making it even more memorable, dropping his chance to score a try on debut.
“The speed's a lot different, but it was an unreal experience,” Verhoeven said.
“I dropped one in the corner, but I should have got that one …”
The game capped a big few days for the 19-year-old who earlier in the week also signed a three-year contract extension.
“That was a really special moment signing for another three years, but I really wanted to with the club,” Verhoeven - who also has Dutch and Tongan heritage said.
"They've been supporting me my whole career, so and they've been great to me.”
