Dan Dumas to play 150th first grade game as Port City Breakers host Port Macquarie Sharks

So it comes as little surprise Dan Dumas attributes his family as the main reason he will run out for his 150^th first grade game in Port City's clash with Port Sharks on Saturday.

Any player who dons the Breakers jumper know they have their Port City footy family alongside them as well as their immediate family when they take the field.

His family inspired him to stick with the move back to the Mid North Coast from Sydney back in 2007 when his love for the game was at an all-time low.

"After I left Sydney, the only thing that kept me playing football was my kids," Dumas said.

Wife Shelley then had her role to play despite not sharing the same love for the game.

"Shell isn't a footy person, but she loves watching me play," Dumas said.

"Now the kids are older and playing football, the drive of them wanting me to play is what kept me going.

"I knew if I retired five or six years ago, the kids wouldn't have seen me play football and wouldn't have known what I was like as a football player."

While Dumas has enjoyed every moment of his time with the Breakers since moving home 12 years ago, he admitted his career could have taken a very different path.

"There was an up-and-coming rookies story in The Daily Telegraph in 2004," he recalled.

"They had Slater, Cronk, Marshall, Thurston, Thaiday, Gallen and I was in the 13."

Also included in the top 17 players at the time were Sonny Bill Williams and Roy Asotasi.

Dumas admits he made a wrong decision relating to a player manager when he was playing with NRL side Cronulla at the time.

"I asked Steve Rogers for a release about seven times and then went to the Roosters not knowing since I signed it had put them over the salary cap," Dumas said.

As a result, he was offered very little game time which saw his love for the game waver.

"I did get let down a fair bit coming through, but I know now that if any of my kids get that opportunity I know what to do because I've been there and done that."

The only decision after his stint at the Sharks and then the Roosters was to return to the Mid North Coast.

"When I first came back I couldn't stand football and that's being honest," he said.

"I know over the last few years I've owed (the Breakers) a fair bit and I felt like I needed to give more to the club as well.

"Having (Adrian Daley) and Piggy (Josh Hyde) involved pushed me to want to keep playing.

"It's a family club at the Breakers.

"Over the last couple of years I've been saying I'm close to retiring, but the love of the game has come back to where it was."

Saturday's match kicks off at 3pm at Regional Stadium.

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