'It’s definitely in my blood': Hamilton celebrates 150 games

Rugby league means a number of different things to Guy Hamilton.

It’s the place in which his hopes and dreams exist, but also where he finds solace. It’s his escape from the hard days and a consistent in his life, a game he has played since the age of four.

It’s always been his choice, even if it runs in his blood, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

And it’s his future.

This Sunday, the Burleigh Bears playmaker will notch up his 150th Hostplus Cup game, marking the milestone against the Tweed Seagulls in the infamous XXXX Rivalry Round.

The 29-year-old has reached this moment playing across four Cup clubs – Brisbane Tigers, Sunshine Coast Falcons, Souths Logan Magpies and his beloved Bears.

It’s not something he ever thought he’d achieve but given his love of the game, it’s also no surprise that he’ll tick that one off this weekend.

“It’s an individual honour to hit these milestones,” Hamilton said.

“It does mean a lot to me and my family as well… everyone that rides the rollercoaster with me.

“For me, playing 150 games is unreal. As a young kid, my dad played Cup and my grandad played BRL (Brisbane Rugby League) and when I was young, I used to watch it on the ABC and was a big fan of Cup.

“It’s pretty special. It’s not something I aimed for but it’s something you want, is to keep playing at the highest level you can play. I definitely don’t take it for granted.”

A self-proclaimed footy nerd, Hamilton made his debut with the Tigers in 2016 at the age of 21, coming off the bench to play hooker.

Both his dad and grandad were Easts juniors, so it was a fitting debut for Hamilton, whose family are his biggest supporters today.

He was with the Tigers for the one season before joining the Falcons, where he made his first grand final – a loss to the PNG Hunters.

In 2018, he moved to Souths Logan Magpies, where he played for three years, enjoying some train-and-trial experiences with the Brisbane Broncos during this time.

Then, in 2021, Hamilton signed with the Bears and has not looked back since.

As he approaches this milestone, he does so knowing he’s in the best period of his career.

“Every club you go to there’s people involved that help you and mentor you,” Hamilton said.

“The last four or five years since I got to Burleigh, it’s a lot of the senior playing group at our club who have done that for me.

“They don’t realise how much they teach me and the confidence they give me to be me, but the likes of Patty Politoni, Sam Coster and Sami Sauiluma, they really have helped me a lot, both on and off field.

“They’re very good men. Then (coach Luke Burt) Burty the last few years, he’s just really boosted a lot of confidence into me and believes in me a lot.

“The footy knowledge he’s put into me is pretty special. These past four or five years have been the best of my Cup career.

“It’s a place now that we all say it’s like a family. I didn’t expect to feel this way when I came here, but it’s hard not to when you see how much it means to other people.

“From (CEO Damian Driscoll) Drisco to the players to the sponsors, especially the old boys, it’s contagious.

“The longer you’re there, the more it pumps into you, that sort of feeling and love for the place. I have a very big passion for them now and I’ll continue to feel this way for a long time.”

For Hamilton, the highlight of his career has been the people he has met.

While he’s still chasing that elusive premiership – also playing in last year’s grand final, going down to the Tigers – he knows the best part about what he does is the people around him and how they help him get through things, both on and off the field.

“It’s the people you meet, the friends you make, the memories that you have,” he said.

“It’s just the whole process of footy – the highs and lows – but always having footy there. People don’t realise how much footy is an outlet.

“When things aren’t going well at home or work, footy is the consistent and takes the pressure off. When life throws curveballs at you, you get to be at footy three times a week, see your mates at the end of a long day and then go to battle with your mates on the weekend, get everything out of the system.

“I enjoy just going to training and those couple of hours with my mates. It keeps me ticking off the field.

“I started playing when I was four. When your family is all in it, like mine, it’s not hard to gravitate towards it and it’s definitely in my blood. It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do.

“It’s the biggest part of my life. In Cup, people don’t always realise, but there’s a lot of players with a genuine passion for rugby league.

“You’re not fulltime, you’re not getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars and you don’t have the luxury of everything that professional athletes get.

“Instead, it’s about people that work all day. They do it because they love it and I’m someone like that.”