Much has changed for Jarrod Croker during his lifelong love of rugby league.
As a young boy, he was a regular visitor to the Cookbundoon soccer fields next door to his home.
"I'd find an old styrofoam cup, tip it upside down, poke holes in it and that would be my kicking tee," he said.
Practice made perfect for the Goulburn Stockmen junior who went on to play for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL from 2009 to 2023. He also captained the team and scored 2374 points, the fourth highest of all time. During his career he played 307 games and booted 915 goals.
Croker retired in 2023 and was subsequently appointed as goalkicking coach to the Raiders and Manly Sea Eagles.
The styrofoam cup or sand pile has given way to his self-designed '284 kicking tee'. Croker collaborated with business partner and retail distributor, Paul Boudville on the product. It came after a casual conversation on a road trip to Canberra.
"I'd thought about it (a kicking tee) a lot but I didn't necessarily have the process. Getting someone like Paul involved meant we could put our brains together," Croker said.
The former NRL player runs his own company, TwoEightFour, named after the fact he was the 284th Raiders player.
Croker returned to Goulburn on Wednesday, July 15, to launch the product at Intersport. A swarm of children, including Junior Stockmen, and parents descended on the store to meet Croker and secure autographs and photos.
"It's been a long process but I'm very happy with it," he said.
"Launching it in my hometown of Goulburn was very important to me and hopefully it's onwards and upwards from here."
The durable kicking tee comes in three heights, equipped with microtips to secure the ball during challenging conditions.
Croker says it's not just for NRL or elite players, some of whom are already using it, but juniors who just want to kick the footy in the park or field.
He told The Post he was always passionate about goalkicking. He named the 2019 Raiders versus Roosters grand final as a highlight. Though the 'green machine' lost the game, Croker kicked every goal. Golden point wins also rated highly in his career.
"There have been plenty of lows but they bring out the highs," Croker said.
"You have to want to be a goalkicker. A lot of players are thrown the job and they don't enjoy it. You have to put in the practice and the ones who do generally come out on top."
Like life, goalkicking could be a rollercoaster. Croker says resilience, moving on quickly and learning from failures are essential.
Post football, Croker said he'd been lucky to have "good people" around him in the transition. He's busy as ever flying from his Gold Coast home of the past six months to Canberra and Sydney as a goalkicking coach.
He also hosts a radio program with former Cronulla Sharks and Wallabies player, Mat Rogers, three to four nights a week in Queensland. It's titled Sportsday with Rat and Jarrod.
On weekends, he and former Raiders player coach the Currumbin Eagles under-six rugby league team in which their sons play.
"It's probably the most pleasing part of my week," Croker said.
When possible, he returns to Goulburn to visit family, including parents Greg and Pauline, and to support the Goulburn Stockmen. But he says this time of year, family are happy to visit him on the Gold Coast.
Meantime, the kicking tee is taking off in sporting stores across Australia. They've also been sent to Super League teams in the UK and NRLW players, and Wallabies debutante, Declan Meredith, has requested some. It's a far cry from the styrofoam cup of his youth.
"That's where is started and this is where it ended up, so it's very exciting," Croker said.
