NRL | Rookies Knights halfback Phoenix Crossland credits his mum Nikki for his rise to NRL status

The call he made to his mum Nikki last week to tell her he was about to make his NRL debut for the Knights.

"I burst into tears as I told her and she didn't stop crying for three days after it," Crossland said. "It was pretty special - something I'll never forget."

There is arguably no stronger bond than the one that exists between a mother and her son. For the Crosslands, there is no argument.

Phoenix was just two when he and his mum left Wellington in New Zealand to move to Budgewoi on the Central Coast after the end of Nikki's relationship with his father.

"I don't know my dad. I never really met him or know much about him," the young halfback said.

"I've been pretty sweet without him to be honest. I don't think about him and I know mum's good with that too."

Ask him about growing up without a father and the conversation quickly turns to mum Nikki.

"She has been everything to me. Absolutely everything that's happened, that's happening now, is all because of mum," he said.

"It sounds cliched but it's true. She's my greatest supporter and I have her to thank for where I've got to so far."

A big part of the reason the Crosslands moved to the Central Coast was to be closer to Phoenix's grandparents.

"After she left my dad, she wanted to be closer to them so that's when we moved over," he said.

"For the first four years we were here, she studied at university and got into teaching and grandma and granddad helped to look after me while mum was at uni. She's worked really hard and like I said, she is everything."

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It was Nikki who steered Crossland into rugby league with the Wyong Roos when he was around seven after he "absolutely hated" his first season playing soccer.

"My uncles from NZ have always been big rugby union fans and for whatever reason, mum put me into rugby league and I loved it and have been playing ever since," he said.

The family, that includes sisters Ivy 15 and Torah 7 and five year old brother Bodhi now all live at Blacksmiths with Crossland going to Hunter Sports High before finishing up last year.

He has come right through the junior ranks at the Knights, playing NSW 16's and 18's and would have played for the Blues' Under 20s side last night against Queensland in the curtain-raiser to Origin III had he not been pulled out by the club following his NRL debut.

Ironically, politics played a part in his non-selection for the Australian Schoolboys at the end of last year but he now sees it as a blessing in disguise.

It meant he could concentrate on doing a full pre-season with the Knights fulltime squad after he was chosen for a development contract. It was when he was taken under the wing of one of the game's best halfbacks in Mitchell Pearce.

"I spoke to mum about it at the start of pre-season and we were saying that even if I did make the Australian Schoolboys, that's a massive honour but a kid's dream isn't to grow up and played Under 18's for Australia, it's to play NRL. So I think doing the full pre-season would have come first anyway," he said.

On Pearce and his influence, Crossland says: "He's been massive this last six or eight months since I came in. I've probably annoyed him with lots of questions but that's a good thing. He's always encouraging me to be a better person and a better player. He's obviously been through a lot as well and he's got lots of things to teach me.

"He was one of the first people I called because he has helped me a lot and is always in my ear about when I'm going to debut. So I thought it would be a good idea for him to be one of the first people I told about it.

"He was stoked and he messaged me before the game as well and just said to soak it up, it will be the best night of your life. He's a legend."

Crossland's debut against the Warriors ended up being a 12 minute cameo at the death and he didn't look out of place.

He had around 30 family and friends at the game with some flying over from New Zealand to help him celebrate his debut and all stayed for his 19th birthday lunch the following day at the Caves Beach Hotel.

"It was just an awesome weekend, one I'll never forget," he said.