Ruben Wiki: Raiders return ideal for my 250

When I was growing up on the streets of Otara, I never dreamed I'd play 250 NRL games. I had no idea the game would take me so far and I would be celebrating such milestones as that or 50 tests for the Kiwis as I did last year.

I must admit, it's pretty amazing and playing against my old club, the Canberra Raiders last night, was an awesome way to bring up the 250.

When I was a kid I played league in the backyard with my younger brother and sister, who would gang up on me, or in the street with my friends and neighbours.

We lived on a quiet cul-de-sac and the game would be interrupted only by a car or when it was time for dinner or bed. It was something we did almost every day until I was about 15 or 16.

I just loved hanging out with my mates, like John Carmont, whose brother George now plays for the Newcastle Knights. George was a bit younger than us but he was always hanging around and it's been cool seeing him go on to play first grade.

The Otara club was just around the corner and I started playing for them in the midgets grade aged six.

When I hit my teens I switched to Otahuhu and played there until I was picked up by the Canberra Raiders as a 19-year-old.

I tried rugby once but it was never something that appealed. I went to only one training but I didn't like the fact that when you were tackled you had to let the ball go and other guys would then run over the top of you. Weird.

Otara was a pretty rough place when I was a kid, I guess it still is, and you would always hear about what the local gangs were up to.

It wasn't something I ever wanted to get involved with - I'd have got a clip around the ears if my parents had ever found out I was messing with the wrong crowd.

I was reasonably good at school but when I watched my idol Mal Meninga on TV I always wanted to be like him during our games on the street. It was one of the highlights of my career to play with him at the Raiders.

Although I get nervous before every game, I was even more nervous before last night's match.

It was the first time I'd gone back to Canberra since leaving the club last year and my wife and kids came along to catch up with old friends.

I approached it like any other game but it was really hard with so many memories flooding back.

That's 250 down, 300 look out.