The Alice Springs product, born to New Zealand parents, grew up playing both AFL and rugby league. The former was more popular in the country's centre, but his heart belonged to the latter (despite the best efforts of his rugby union-loving parents).

Eventually, he moved to Townsville at the age of 15 for the chance to pursue a potential career with the North Queensland Cowboys.

It was a dream opportunity for the young Pomare-Anderson. But, presumably due to the excitement and self-confidence of youth, he didn't push himself as hard as he needed to.

"The only reason why I moved to Townsville was I signed an academy contract with the North Queensland Cowboys," he said.

"It was something I was pursuing and had a crack at, and I spent one year in the under 20s squad in 2011. So I got to pursue that and have a taste of it all.

"I think just moving out of Alice Springs to Townsville and playing some good footy, I felt like I'd already made it and I was a bit comfortable where I was. I never continued to push myself, and there were other players around me that were still trying to crack it and had a different mindset."

But Pomare-Anderson has no regrets.

After his time with the Cowboys came to an end, he worked as a scaffolder for several years while playing A Grade for the Brothers RLFC. Eventually, he and his partner, Lara, started a family and he wanted a job that would allow him to be a more present father. So he found work with the Clontarf Foundation.

In what might have been a remnant of the competitive instincts instilled during a lifetime of high-level rugby league, Pomare-Anderson soon desired a greater challenge at work.

After he put himself up for a promotion, they ended up in a little city called Tamworth. Though he was not familiar with the Country Music Capital, Lara was through her love of the genre.

"I didn't know where I was going or what was here, and the only thing my partner knew when I told her that the foundation offered an academy in Tamworth was the Country Music Festival," Pomare-Anderson said.

"So for her, it was a pretty easy move. She loves country."

Once they had arrived, in July last year, Pomare-Anderson felt the familiar itch to look for a league team.

It started with a Google search.

"I just searched 'Tamworth rugby league' that weekend to see what was on and where," he said.

"The Bears came up, they were playing here at home ... it was their Indigenous round against Werris Creek. I went down on my own and watched the reserve grade and a bit of the first grade."

After the game, he ran into Bears coach Paul Boyce at the pub with the rest of the team. They exchanged numbers, and several months later Pomare-Anderson called the third-year coach to express his interest in playing.

Now in his 30s, with two young kids and a career in which he has found genuine fulfilment, Pomare-Anderson no longer plays footy with dreams of glory. For him, it's about meeting new people, having a community to call his own, and staying active.

So while he will give it his all on the field for North Tamworth this year, wins will be sweeter for the presence of his family and losses will no longer sting the way they once did.

"I obviously still want to compete and win," Pomare-Anderson said.

"If I'm not enjoying it, I'm not going to be running around much longer. So I'll ... make the most of it. Because there are fellas that have longevity and can play on and on and on, but realistically I don't think I'll be one of them."

With Lara expected to deliver a third child within the next month, he will "take [his time left playing footy] as it comes".