Curtis Sironen opens up about how he emerged from shadow of dad Paul to be his own man

Behind the son of a gun storylines that have dominated his NRL career, there has been a real-life battle that until now Curtis Sironen has not spoken publicly about.

Curtis Sironen celebrates 100 games today when Manly face Gold Coast.

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It’s been 21 long years since a four-year-old boy led Balmain onto Leichhardt Oval for his dad’s final game in 1998.

But when the now 25-year-old runs out for his own 100th NRL game on Saturday when Manly takes on Gold Coast, it should also mark the end for Curtis Sironen walking in that giant shadow to emerge as his own man.

Because behind the son of a gun storylines that have dominated his career, there has been a real-life battle that until now Sironen has not spoken publicly about.

From dealing with intense anxiety as a teenager - to a long line of injuries that culminated last year in Sironen falling into what he terms a “vicious cycle” after suffering a season-ending ACL knee injury.

By his own admission, he was so down he struggled to even answer teammates’ phone calls, before calling on a mix of alcohol and medication to try and shut out the personal pain.

Curtis Sironen celebrates 100 games today when Manly face Gold Coast.

DAD’S SHADOW

Big Paul Sironen is not only one of the Tigers’ greatest players, he is also a champion bloke.

And make no mistake, Curtis loves his old man.

But that still didn’t make it any easier following in those famous footsteps.

“I just put a lot of expectation on myself,” Curtis explained.

“It never came from Dad, or anyone close to me. But I had a lot of anxiety at one stage.

“I would always get that vibe that people would think I only made a team because of my last name.

“There was one stage, when I was 12 or 13, when I would ask Mum to take me to the footy so Dad would take my younger brother, because I didn’t want him at the games.”

It wasn’t until he was about 17 he finally started embracing his situation.

He represented NSW under 18s and the Australian Schoolboys - and after exploding into the NRL as an 18-year-old at Wests Tigers, rugby league Immortal Bob Fulton even lauded Sironen as a future Test five-eighth.

But then a string of injuries hit one after the other and Sironen found himself caught up in dark world so many NRL players struggle to deal with.

Curtis Sironen was touted as a future Kangaroo in his younger days.

“A VICIOUS CYCLE”

For all his raw talent, he’d already had two shoulder reconstructions by age 20 that followed with a broken foot, surgery to repair a disc in his neck and then a torn pec.

Almost every time his career was about to take flight, another setback would arrive.

So when he went down on Brookvale Oval in round four last year clutching his knee, it was like his entire world collapsed.

“I really struggled. I was down,” he confessed.

“It went on for the majority of the year.

“I didn’t want to watch footy or go to training. I was even dodging some of my teammates’ calls.

“Then once I was up on my feet I was drinking alcohol and different medications and it was just a vicious cycle.”

But the booze is something he has left behind this season.

“I’m just not drinking alcohol at all, since just before round one,” he continued.

“So I go into every game knowing I have given myself no excuses.”

It has certainly shown in his performances, with Sironen not missing a game in arguably his best season.

Curtis Sironen is having an excellent sason at Brookvale.

THE FUTURE

Outside of football, he has also found peace in his life.

Curtis started taking himself along to Men of League visits to a local spinal unit this year.

And just listening to kids with far greater troubles than his own has also made him appreciate how lucky he is.

“I am pretty proud to be honest,” Sironen said about the milestone.

“There are guys who debuted at the same time as me who are at about 150 or so games.

“But I am not worried about that because this has been my journey. And I am happy where I am.

“I finally feel like I can add value.”

Originally published as Curtis Sironen opens up about how he emerged from shadow of dad Paul to be his own man