\u201cI\u2019ve always loved footy. I used to always sleep with a rugby ball in my hand \u2013 that was my teddy,\u201d Bishop Neal says.<\/p>\n
His mum Betsy Neal said little Bishop would keep a journal detailing his future plans. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe would write in his little journals that \u2018I want to be a rugby player\u2019 and about what he would do on the field,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Dad Trevor Neal describes his son constantly repeating the \u201cB for ball\u201d page in his alphabet book.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019d be just standing there when I\u2019m coming home from work in the nappy just going \u2018ball\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
That love for the game only grew with age. Betsy Neal would record his junior club games so he could watch and analyse them \u2013 a habit that\u2019s akin to much older players.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would watch it all week over and over again. He\u2019d come up to us saying \u2018if I stepped off my right foot, I could\u2019ve done that\u2019. He does that every single game he plays,\u201d Betsy Neal says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought it was normal,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Bishop Neal on the charge for the Warriors against the Steelers in the Harold Matthews Cup. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Like any kid, Neal\u2019s involvement in league came from the pure enjoyment it provided. <\/p>\n
The first time he came to people\u2019s attention was after playing in a weekend-long Under-15s Kotahitanga league tournament at 14, where he was mostly there to support a friend who was feeling nervous about taking part.<\/p>\n
Straight afterwards, Trevor and Betsy Neal began to field calls left and right. Bishop\u2019s St Thomas of Canterbury principal Steve Hart called to say: \u201c\u2019I don\u2019t know what happened this weekend at the tournament but everyone\u2019s calling me about Bishop\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approaches were coming thick and fast from NRL clubs and their agents.<\/p>\n
Attention like this can be difficult for youngsters, particularly in the age of social media.<\/p>\n
Young league prospect Bishop Neal with (from left) poppa Lee Neal, mum Betsy Neal, manager Jordan Friend and dad Trevor Neal. Photo \/ Rome Bennett Photography<\/p>\n
But this hasn\u2019t been a problem for Neal and his siblings, who face a blanket rule of no cellphones and no social media until they turn 18.<\/p>\n
Betsy Neal says social media is \u201can awesome tool\u201d, but didn\u2019t want to see it dilute the effort her son or any of their children gave in their passions, with Trevor Neal adding it allowed them to develop \u201ca stronger sense of identity\u201d by avoiding the noise social media creates.<\/p>\n
While he remains off social media, an exception has been made for Neal when it comes to a phone, due to spending time training in Auckland.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just hard not having a phone. They [the Warriors] had to message the house parent I was staying with to tell me stuff and then I had to tell him to tell them,\u201d Neal says. <\/p>\n
Back in Christchurch, St Thomas\u2019 league coach and deputy principal Andrew Auimatagi first met Neal at 14. He describes the second-rower as supremely gifted physically<\/a>, but also emotionally mature beyond his years in a way he\u2019s never seen before.<\/p>\n \u201cEven in those tense moments, you won\u2019t see Bishop rattled. He\u2019s quite consistent with his emotions; I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever seen him flip out so I think that\u2019s a real superpower of his.\u201d<\/p>\n Being the player everybody wants in their side has created a seemingly exhausting schedule at times, spanning both rugby league and union<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like it was heaps to me. [Like] Mum and Dad, said I love being active, so I like being at training,\u201d Neal says.<\/p>\n Betsy Neal even says training would be used as a disciplining tool and if he didn\u2019t clean his room, he wouldn\u2019t be able to go.<\/p>\n \u201cWithin two minutes, the room was clean, so he\u2019s always been good like that.\u201d<\/p>\n The raw talent combined with a staggering work ethic meant it was merely a matter of when, not if, the Warriors<\/a> reached out.<\/p>\nBishop Neal pictured after being awarded the player-of-the-match award for the Warriors in the Harold Matthews Cup final in May. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n