When Tony Smith signed for Workington Town for the first season of Super League in 1996, he lived in a smelly flat above a fish and chip shop in the Cumbrian town.
And so began a tumultuous journey through British rugby league which has seen him emerge as one of the most successful coaches of his time.
The amiable, articulate and eminently quotable 50-year-old is to part company with Warrington Wolves at the end of the season, bringing an end to a nine-year stay with the club which has harvested three Challenge Cups but no Super League title.
"Every morning I trudged to training and swore we'd never come back to this country," Smith infamously said of his time in Cumbria.
Having returned home to Australia after finishing his playing career with Workington, Smith turned to coaching and applied for the Huddersfield job in September 2001.
Smith had worked under his eldest brother, Brian, with whom he forged a formidable partnership at Parramatta.
As Brian's assistant, Smith had just helped Parramatta reach the semi-finals of the NRL play-offs in August 2000 when he heard that Huddersfield had sacked John Kear.
Smith had a couple of telephone interviews but eventually decided to pay for his own air fare to speak to the Huddersfield hierarchy in person.
It was a wise move, as he secured the position after a series of psychometric tests.
It was a tough baptism as Smith lost his first 13 games in charge and, despite an upturn in form during the second half of the season, Huddersfield were relegated.
The following year, they returned to Super League without losing a single game, culminating in their Grand Final win against Leigh which secured the team's promotion.
From there, Smith was ready for another big step up, so he took the reins at Headingley to become Leeds head coach.
The Rhinos had failed to win the championship since 1972 but Smith, in his first season, guided the club to Grand Final glory against the all-conquering Bradford Bulls.
Smith laid the platform for a genuine renaissance of the Leeds club, putting his trust in young, homegrown players such as Danny McGuire, Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield who became the backbone of the team for years.
Smith also steered the Rhinos to a memorable World Club Challenge win over the Canterbury Bulldogs at Elland Road, confirming their arrival as a major force in the game.
In his fourth and final season at Headingley, Smith inspired another Grand Final win over St Helens before he left to take over as Great Britain coach.
The 2008 World Cup in Australia was fairly disastrous from an England perspective and in March 2009 Smith returned to the club scene with Warrington, a club with so much potential but synonymous with underachievement, not dissimilar to Leeds.
In his first season in charge, Smith guided the Wolves to their first Challenge Cup final win since 1974 as Huddersfield were defeated before he repeated the trick a year later, this time at Leeds’ expense.
In 2012, Smith delivered a third Challenge Cup final win, confirming him as one of the most successful coaches in Super League history.
Crucially, however, he was unable to inspire the Wolves to their first league championship since 1955 as three trips to Old Trafford under Smith brought three defeats.
This season saw Warrington faced with the indignity of scrapping it out for their Super League safety, forcing a parting of the ways at the end of the season.
"I've really enjoyed my nine years at the club," Smith said.
"And I feel that it's now in the best interests of all for us to go in different directions."
Rugby league, collectively, should wish him well.
