It began on a beach in the Royal National Park between Sydney and the Illawarra, progressed upwards to Yamba and the Buccaneers of the mid-north coast before it was back south to Randwick and the Sutherland Shire and Southern Districts.There followed a call-up to NSW Waratahs at Moore Park. And that only took him up to 2013.Read the Official Wallabies v Springboks Test Program here!There were periods with Greater Sydney Rams, NSW Country Eagles and the Irish province of Munster.And then, after all that, after his share of injury and wondering would it ever happen, Holloway was on tour in Argentina and got the call-up: You’re going to be Wallaby, son. He could scarcely believe it.On game day he fidgeted. There were voices in his head – his own – telling him: ‘You’re about to play for Australia. You! The kid from Era Beach, the crab-trapper of Yamba’. He had to get up and do things, keep busy, keep his mind off it.He began feeling “normal again” when the bus took the team from hotel to stadium. “I was like: this is what I do,” Holloway says.He pulled on the jumper in the sheds. Jogged out with the team. Then the anthems played … and he was gone again.“I was super emotional,” Holloway says. “That’s when it all kind of became real. I was doing what I’d dreamed of doing – wearing that jersey.”After a strong win to the Wallabies, Holloway sat in the middle of Malvinas Argentinas Stadium, took his boots off and soaked it in. Then he soaked it in some more in the sheds. Then he soaked it in again when they presented him with a Wallabies Test cap.And he thought: How good? And he answered himself: ‘Very, very good’.Let’s back up and head to Era Beach where Holloway’s grandad bought a surf shack during the Depression of the 1930s.Five generations of Holloways have since maintained it. It’s where Holloway goes to chill. There’s poor phone reception. It’s just surf, fish, eat, repeat. And have a few beers in the surf club that’s maintained by the locals.“They’re like little surf cabins,” Holloway says. “As the National Park’s expanded they’ve become World Heritage listed. They’re still styled from that era but they’re fully self-sustainable. Solar power, water, all that. They’re awesome for us.”The Holloways don’t own the land, it’s part of National Park. But like 150 other cabin-holders, they essentially lease from the government.“They need people to maintain the shacks, everything like that. It’s like an understanding,” Holloway says.On holiday in Yamba his mum and dad found a house on the river, a spot called Palmer’s Island, which they bought for a song.They made the sea change from North Wollongong and from the age of eight Holloway’s day consisted of checking crab traps, riding his bike, going to school, playing sports.One of which was Rugby. It’s league country and former Wallabies lock Kane Douglas’s dad coached the local leaguies. Holloway played league, union and soccer. He was the surf club, too.“It was a bit hectic on the parents,” Holloway says. “I was playing Rugby on a Friday night then rugby league on a Saturday and then you did Nippers on a Sunday as well. Lot going on. Even a bit of soccer. Bit much on! But in a place like that, sport, sad as it is … keeps people occupied and away from other things.”All through his teenage Rugby years Holloway was a good player but never made rep teams. Then, aged 17, the big lump busted out and married his natural athleticism with height and girth.“It took me a while to grow and fill out. Mum and dad were always very patient and reassured me. They knew I had the skill and stuff like that. They just said, make sure you keep on doing it because you enjoy it.“You’re gonna grow. And then eventually I did, I shot up, got faster and it all kind of took off from there quite quickly.”He played for NSW Country Under 17s and played against the City team. He was scouted by Randwick who “basically told me if I had any interest in making Australian Schoolboys, I needed to move to Sydney, which is bit sad,” according to Holloway.It was a great move, however.He played First XV for Waverley College and lived with Owen Finegan’s parents. He’d play basketball in summer. He made Australian Schoolboys and Under 20s. And he continued to dream of playing for Australia and the Waratahs.Next minute he was hurriedly cleaning up chip packets.“Cliffy Palu was always my favourite player growing up. On one of my first days training at the Waratahs, I would’ve been 19 or 20 maybe, and I was absolutely shitting myself. I left training and was trying to sneak away when Cliffy jumped in my car! Could he have a ride? Well, of course. So I’m bloody cleaning up chip wrappers from my front seat, the passenger side … and sitting there in awe of him.“But he was sweet, he was making conversation. He’s an awesome guy and someone who I still look up to.”So here he is, Jed Holloway, at 29, another of the Wallabies ‘senior’ debutants following the debuts of Dave Porecki and Cadeyrn Neville against England.Holloway says he’s learned plenty in his first three Tests – namely don’t give the other mob a sniff.“If there’s one difference between Test and Super Rugby it’s that there’s a lot less space and you can’t afford to make mistakes because you’re punished for it. That’s been the biggest thing, the biggest ‘welcome to Test Rugby’ thing. “The second Argies game, any mistake we made they made us pay. They’d clean up our mistakes and go the length. And we’d be under the sticks going, ‘What the hell was that?’”Holloway says he’s enjoying the complementary role he plays with the hard-charging Rob Valetini and the breakdown scavenger Fraser McReight.Now that he’s finally a Wallaby, he doesn’t plan on letting it go.“I won’t be getting complacent. I’ll continue to work. Continue to monitor feedback.“You need to make sure you’re continually learning because the game is forever developing.“You need to make the most of the opportunity.”Click Here: canterbury-bankstown bulldogs jersey
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