RUGBY LEAGUE: If former Goondiwindi junior Ethan Lowe kicks the winning goal for the Cowboys against Storm in tomorrow's NRL grand final, he will have a special thank you for his younger brother Stewart.

Ethan played in the forwards for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and District Junior Rugby League competition from under-6 to U12s but didn't do any kicking, that was the job of the halves.

His mother Bridget Lowe remembers Ethan walking the 800m to Riddles Oval at Goondiwindi to kick goals.

"Ethan would kick for goal and Stewart would retrieve the ball,” Bridget said.

After U12s, he went to boarding school at Downlands, Toowoomba, and was a flanker in the firsts in rugby in Year 11 before attending St Mary's in Year 12, where Paul Canning and David Anderson were in charge of the rugby league program.

He played juniors for Valleys and in South West Mustangs teams, which included many of the players he played with and against in Warwick and District.

His mother recalls the good times he enjoyed in footy with his many mates from Goondiwindi.

"He also played a lot of footy with Warwick pair Josh Jerome and Ryan Kinlyside, and Inglewood players Justin Croft and Tim West,” she said.

After Year 12, he headed to Sydney to play in the Roosters U20s.

"The goalkicker was injured in U20s and Ethan started kicking,” Bridget said.

He played three seasons for the Roosters in U20s and the Junior Kangaroos, before linking with Northern Pride in 2012 to play Queensland Cup.

Ethan made his NRL debut for the Cowboys against the Gold Coast Titans in 2013 and scored a try on debut.

He first kicked in his second NRL game when Johnathan Thurston was on Origin duty.

Bridget said Thurston helped her son with his kicking, "especially the mental side of things”.

"He isn't too nervous before a game. Ethan is very organised and would always do his homework straight after he got home from school.”

His mother admits she gets nervous when he is kicking in NRL.

"I look away from the TV and then watch the replay,” she said.

In Saturday's victory against the Roosters, Bridget was at work as a nurse at Goondiwindi Hospital.

"The patients told me he kicked a goal from touch. His dad Stephen was at the game.”

The Lowe contingent in Sydney tomorrow will number 25, made up of parents, siblings, uncle, aunts, grandparents, cousins and friends.

"His sister Katie is going, she was a tackle bag for a while,” Bridget said recalling backyard games.

One of Lowe's best games was against the Eels a fortnight ago when he was a man of the match contender for his sideline conversions, a chase of Will Smith to ensure a more difficult conversion and multiple try-saving tackles.