Fully professional from start to finish

FANS: Melbourne Storm rugby league player Dayne Weston autographs Tamatea Primary School pupils at Tamatea High School. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

As advance messengers, Melbourne Storm rugby league players Slade Griffin and Dayne Weston were delivering all the right messages yesterday as they rounded-off a series of visits to Napier and Hastings schools.

The first was the somewhat subtle show, by meeting the engagements, that there's no shirking in the life of a professional footballer, for there they were in the Tamatea High School auditorium talking to about 60 pupils of the school, nearby Tamatea Primary, and a group from William Colenso College.

Both are on the injury list, and won't be playing the big NRL game against St George Illawarra Dragons in Napier tomorrow night.

But, just because they're injured doesn't mean they have to stop working.

Both students and staff picked-up on the more obvious pearls of wisdom as the blossoming youth - mainly rugby union players, both male and female - fired the questions.

Tackled on nutrition, one gem, was: "You understand how important it is to eat well.

"When I ate better, I felt better."

Griffin, who grew-up playing league in Greymouth in the traditional coal mining league fraternity of the South Island's West Coast, pondered for only the briefest moment after he was asked what's needed to succeed in the game.

"You've just got to do more than the person next to you," he said.

The two players also answered questions about life after rugby league.

Father-of-two Weston was particularly happy about a current off-field role visiting youngsters at the Royal Children's Hospital, in Melbourne, every week.

"I'm very passionate about helping people," he said.

During the two days, the pair also visited Mayfair School in Hastings, the primary school of fellow Storm player Tohu Harris. Others they visited were Hastings Intermediate, Flaxmere College, Nelson Park School and Tamatea Intermediate.