As a kid, Kobe Hetherington copped an earful from his dad - former Canterbury hooker Jason - if he dared barrack for anyone other than the Bulldogs.
But hard-working forward Hetherington reckons he may just have converted the "old boy" into a Broncos fan after capping a stellar NRL rise with a two-year contract extension at Red Hill.
Not that his father will admit it.
"When I was a young fella if I ever went for another side he would get up me," Hetherington laughed.
"The old boy made me go for the Doggies but that slowly faded out.
"As soon as the Broncos started showing interest in me, all I wanted to do was become a Bronco.
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"And I reckon he has a bit of a soft spot now [for Brisbane]. I don't think he will tell you that but."
Certainly, Hetherington has given his famous dad plenty to cheer about after re-signing with Brisbane, holding off interest from - you guessed it - the Bulldogs.
Just six games into his NRL career the 22-year-old has done enough to impress new football boss Ben Ikin and coach Kevin Walters to ensure he stays at Red Hill until at least the end of 2023.
A Queensland under 19 rep in 2019, Hetherington still had to do the hard yards through the Intrust Super Cup via Norths Devils and Souths Logan Magpies before finally getting an NRL call-up in round 11 this year, chiming into Brisbane's stunning upset over Sydney Roosters.
Not so long ago Hetherington was juggling Broncos training with work on the job site as a tradie.
"I was doing a chippy trade for about three years before going full-time [at Broncos]," he said.
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"Even before COVID, I was part-time training, part-time chippy.
"At the moment I am fully committed to being a Bronco. I feel I have worked hard for this opportunity - it's unreal. It's a good feeling not being on the tools, hey."
Hetherington said he never gave up on his NRL dream thanks to his dad, who had a 118-game career at the Bulldogs that featured two grand finals and earned Queensland and Test selection.
"He doesn't give me too much advice for the on-field stuff. It's mostly off-field stuff like coming through the ranks," Hetherington said of his dad's influence.
"I didn't have the smoothest runs. I had the old boy to look back on.
"He did all that before. He is really good at keeping me on the straight and narrow, keeping me going.
"He's been the biggest influence on my footy career."
While Hetherington may now officially be off the tools, he reckons the hard work had only just begun at the Broncos, who have climbed off the bottom of the ladder after an impressive last-round win over top-eight side Cronulla.
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"There's nothing better than winning. Now we want to keep it going and the only way to do that is to work hard," he said.
Hetherington initially hoped to follow his dad's footsteps and be a hooker but reckons he wants to step up at lock, bulking up to 95kg and counting this year.
He played his first five games off the bench before impressing in the No.13 jersey last round against the Sharks, convincing the Broncos to offer an extension.
"Kobe is a player of strong character that suits the type of person we need to have on our roster," Walters said.
