Just 80 minutes of Rugby League stands between St George Illawarra captain Cody Ramsey and the prospect of lifting The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup come Sunday at CommBank Stadium, to ink another chapter in one of the game's greatest comebacks.
Stepping back out on the training paddock in 2024 having spent more than two years out of the game after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, his return match for the Red V in February this year was an inspirational effort in itself.
But 23 games later, and skippering Willie Talau’s side all the way through to Sunday’s decider against Minor Premiers the Warriors, Ramsey was matter-of-fact about his journey so far as he tries to help his Dragons claim their first NSW Cup since 2001.
“My football career as of now has its highs and lows, but at the moment it’s on a high,” Ramsey told nswrl.com.au.
“The year we’ve had with the boys has been great and we’ve still got another game to go.”
But in a year that has also seen eight members of his NSW Cup squad make their NRL debuts throughout the season, a mark of the side’s form in 2025, the captain’s newfound outlook could well be one of the driving forces behind it.
“When you’re playing week in, week out, you kind of forget how good you have it,” Ramsey said.
“When something like that happened to me, you treat every game from now on as if it was your last.
“That’s just how I went about my way now – ‘Is this going to be my last game? If it is, then give it everything you’ve got.”
His personal performance as arguably the competition’s best fullback in 2025 simply reinforces that approach to the game. Ramsey has scored 11 tries and set up 22, has a competition-high 22 line-break assists, 73 tackle-busts, and leads his position for line-breaks with 15.
Yet now it’s all eyes on Sunday for St George Illawarra where Ramsey will look continue that form in the fourth instalment of Dragons v Warriors for 2025, but this time with The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup trophy at stake.
“This week (Grand Final week) doesn’t happen often ... I haven’t had one for seven or eight years, and not one at the Dragons, so soak it in,” he said.
“We enjoy every part that we are together, every gym session.
“Just get excited, high energy, we’re just pumped up.”
