It’s rare to not to see a smile on Joe Stimson’s face and seven stitches to his cheek didn’t chance his expression as he prepares for his first NRL grand final on Sunday.
The Storm second-rower is one of the team’s many rising stars and he has been a regular around the first grade side for a couple of seasons.
Joe Stimson.
Last year he played a large chunk of the campaign either as a starting second-rower or as a utility player off the bench but he lost his place in the weeks before the finals as New Zealand international Tohu Harris returned from injury.
At the time Stimson could have kicked rocks and lost his smile but instead he took on the Storm’s mantra of “club first, everything else second” and did all he could to help his side prepare for became a premiership win.
“Tohu is a such a quality player, an international, I would have picked him ahead of me,” Stimson said with a laugh.
“I was telling dad how I got dropped but I just knew I needed to put the team first. I think I did that and luckily we got the win.”
Harris headed to the New Zealand Warriors for this season and Stimson has spent the majority of the campaign in the side although he and retiring veteran Ryan Hoffman have shared the starts in the second-row.
Heading into the finals one of them had to make way and Bellamy kept with Stimson believing his form has just shaded Hoffman who battled back from a serious hamstring injury to be fit for selection.
Hoffman has been a model professional during grand final week as he waits in reserve in case a spot opens in the side while Stimson has tried to stay grounded despite his excitement about preparing for his first grand final.
Stimson had nothing but praise for Hoffman who has mentored him for much of the season despite them competing for a place in the side.
When Stimson runs out on Sunday, he will have plenty of Hoffman’s wisdom guide him across the field.
“He is such a good mate and has taught me so much this year, it’s probably the most I’ve learned for a few years,” Stimson said.
“He sees things that you probably don’t see unless you have played 300 games.
“He has been there, done everything and I’ve been a bit of a sponge this year.
“He will tell you to stay up square, get your line speed right. Just little reminders for when you are out there.
“I’ll have his voice and Bellsar’s [Craig Bellamy] voice in my ear come game time.”
The Temora-raised forward is not the only Stimson in the Storm’s ranks with his little brother Matt the captain of the club’s under-20 side, known as the Thunderbolts, who made the semi finals this season.
The two brothers live within a kilometre of each other.
“They had a great year and Matt had a great year too, he will be a pretty good footy player when he gets a bit bigger,” Joe said.
As the days tick down and the Storm head to Sydney, Stimson is trying to find the balance between soaking it up and keeping focused on the premiership.
“I deadset can’t wait for Sunday,” Stimson said.
“I’m trying not to think of it as a grand final. Even though it’s a big occasion, you can’t let it distract you from the job at hand. That’s to play and to play well.
“You soak all this stuff up, enjoy the week and don’t get too ahead of yourself but don’t go too much into your shell as this doesn’t happen often.”
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