It seems natural that Tom Lahrs would view his son's debut NRL season through the prism of his own initial steps in the competition.

In doing so, the former Kangaroos and Blues forward has identified a big difference between his early development in that crucible and his eldest child's progression as a middle forward at the Cowboys this year.

"I know that when I came into first grade, I was at a Broncos side that were winning games; they were quite dominant," said the former Indigenous All Star, who footy fans know as Tom Learoyd-Lahrs. "And they had really, really strong players around me."

Conversely, Tom - a prop and second-rower who played 120 NRL games, mostly at Canberra, in his 12-year, injury-marred career - said that Kaiden's experience was "quite tough".

"Every game he played

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