Reesjan Pasitoa makes his Super Rugby debut for the ACT Brumbies

He might not have been alongside his mates to celebrate the end of school, but it was all worth it for Nudgee product Reesjan Pasitoa.

Reesjan Pasitoa has made his debut for the Brumbies. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

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Reesjan Pasitoa ditched Schoolies Week with his Nudgee College mates on the Gold Coast to make a fast start to his new life with the ACT Brumbies

Every sacrifice, every extra training effort, was worth it when he made his Super Rugby debut at just 18 last Saturday night in Canberra.

The affable youngster only graduated from Nudgee last November after three seasons in the First XV.

Even before he started boarding at the famed rugby nursery in 2017 his mind was on a distant prize while undiscovered in Perth.

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Reesjan Pasitoa has made his debut for the Brumbies. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

“I’m living my dream because I’ve always wanted to be a professional rugby player,” Pasitoa said.

“I’m really grateful and also for my parents to move here because we hadn’t lived together for home-cooked dinners for three years.”

He’s an exotic mix of Niue Islander and German heritage thanks to parents Tongia and Alexandra, who uprooted and moved to Canberra to give their son a proper home life.

Pasitoa is in rarefied company making his Super Rugby debut so young. Think James O’Connor at 17 or Jordan Petaia, Doug Howlett and Matt Toomua at 18.

He’s a professional footballer but he’s a wide-eyed kid too.

“I roomed with Scott Sio, a Wallaby, for our pre-season week in Newcastle which was cool and I love some of the gear he has like massage guns,” Pasitoa said.

Reesjan Pasitoa in action for Nudgee. Picture: AAP image, John Gass

“I think one thing that Nudgee helped me with were the early morning school gym sessions because I’m ready for an exciting day every day at the Brumbies.

“The boys call me ‘Nudge’, RJ or “Ray-J” but no nickname has really stuck as yet.

“Right from the start, I set my goal to get a run in Super Rugby this season at some stage.”

Few expected it to be this soon even with the accomplished minutes he played in trials and lead-up games for the Brumby Runners.

He played the final 10 minutes at inside centre for the Brumbies against the Highlanders in the rain on Saturday night.

It’s just the start for a kid who has been a sponge for learning ever since his first guest appearance at a Brumbies session before last season beside Wallaby Christian Lealiifano.

He’s leaner at 94kg, after dropping 4kg since his Year 12 days.

“I feel sharper for it and I’m learning constantly around positioning, communication, how to conduct myself off the field like Scotty and stuff like that,” Pasitoa said.

“This is what I’ve always wanted to do.”