BEHIND every great man, there has to be a great woman.
It's a phrase that immediately springs to mind when highlighting the rugby league career of Huddersfield Giants' new Australian signing Brad Drew.
There's no doubt that rugby league has been good to Drew. In a highly successful career in Australia's top competition, the National Rugby League, the 28-year-old has starred with leading clubs Penrith Panthers and Canberra Raiders, regularly playing in front of crowds of over 20,000.
And his performances have earned him a prestigious Dally M Hooker of the Year award, an honour handed to the best player in his position in Australia.
But had it not been for the support and sacrifices made by his wife, Justine, such a glittering career may have remained nothing but a dream.
It's something the new Giants star is quick to acknowledge, with the move from their home in Australia to Huddersfield 12,000 miles away only made possible by the support of Justine.
Many wives would have immediately slammed the door shut on a potential move to the other side of the world with her husband and two young sons - particularly when it also meant having to leave her own job as a PE teacher.
But not Justine.
She has backed Drew all the way from the moment he began considering joining the Giants on a two-year contract to play in England's leading competition, Super League.
And now she is settled in to a new home in Meltham with her husband and five-year-old Harry and 16-month-old Jed, she is determined to enjoy every moment.
"I suppose not every wife in the world would have been prepared to support a move to the other side of the world," said the 35-year-old Justine.
"But I know how much Brad wanted to come and play over here, and I didn't want to stop him fulfilling that dream. Sacrifices have been made, obviously, but I was happy to make them.
"Having to quit my job as a High School PE teacher and moving the children such a long way from home were tough decisions to make.
"But coming to England is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and so far I've loved every minute of it.
"We've now been here a month, and there have been a couple of occasions when I've felt homesick, particularly when I've been speaking to my mum back home in Sydney.
"But she's planning to come over here to visit in the summer for a couple of months, so it's not been too bad.
"What's also been a massive help is the way we have been welcomed by the people of Huddersfield with open arms. We can't thank everyone enough for the way they have accepted us."
This is not the first time, however, that Justine has given her husband 100% support in the pursuit of his rugby league career.
When the couple married six years ago, Drew was a part-time player with Penrith.
But it was obvious that to become a first-team regular he needed to train on a full-time basis - and that, again, needed to be with Justine's blessing.
"When we first married Brad was combining his playing with his job as a civil engineer," added Justine.
"It was clear that the only way of making it in rugby league was to pack in the day job and concentrate full-time on his training.
"We decided it was worth giving it a try, which meant we would have to live on my wage.
"That was a massive gamble to make, particularly as we were trying to save up for a house at the same time.
"Fortunately, it all paid off, Brad broke into the first team and we haven't looked back since.
"But, in the bigger scheme of things, this move to England has to be a bigger gamble.
"It's something we haven't done without a great deal of thought. Now we're here, we intend to give it everything.
"Brad's looking forward to getting cracking in Super League with the Giants, and is absolutely loving the training.
"I've just signed on with an employment agency in the hope of finding some teaching work and Harry has just started school.
"We're aiming to make this move a big success."
And with Justine's support how can they fail!
HUDDERSFIELD hospitality has made a massive impression on the Drew family.
The Australians have only been in their Meltham home for a month, but they already feel as if they have been fully accepted by the community. And for that they believe they owe the village a major debt of thanks.
"It was daunting moving here," said Giants star Brad.
"You never know what to expect and how the neighbours are going to be. But we needn't have worried.
"When I was in Australia doing my homework on the move to the area, one of the things I was told was how friendly the people are.That's spot-on.
"As soon as we moved in, the neighbours were around asking if there was anything we needed. In fact, before we had time to unpack, Christmas cards were arriving on the doorstep and the next door neighbours had delivered Christmas presents for the kids!
"You can't ask for anything more than that.
"Then on Christmas Day itself, there was a knock at the door at lunchtime from someone else on the street asking if I fancied going to the pub to sample a traditional Christmas Day pint.
"Going to the pub was amazing and, again, everyone couldn't have been friendlier. This place has already exceded all our expectations."
