![Zac Sampson is driven by a desire to give back. Picture by Mark Bode Zac Sampson is driven by a desire to give back. Picture by Mark Bode](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/20b21ef4-c8b8-41d1-a880-dd12693b76b1.jpg/r0_0_4032_3024_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The family photos confirmed what seemed obvious: Zac Sampson is the product of love.
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His generous smile has been inherited from his parents, Gina and Warren - and it's a safe bet his sense of honour has been as well.
Two years on from a professional photographer documenting the deep affection that was foundational in the 29-year-old's development, he spoke of the great responsibility he feels now that he is a parent.
Being a good provider for his Moree-based family is the most important role of Sampson's life.
"Keep a roof over their head, keep food on the table, clean clothes to put on every morning. So that's the biggest challenge for me," he said.
Sampson shares that responsibility with his wife, Taisha. The couple have two daughters, Sadie, 2, and Sayla, who is not yet one.
"It's great, it's great," the Moree Boar said of fatherhood. "It keeps me on my toes ... Keeps me balanced between football and family life."
Keep a roof over their head, keep food on the table, clean clothes to put on every morning.
Getting to know Taisha, and the birth of his daughters, have been Sampson's greatest sources of happiness.
"We met and started talking one day and went from there," he said of his wife.
Taisha would know that along with being an upstanding family man, her husband is driven by a desire to give back.
It was that mentality that resulted in him returning to the Boars in 2022. Prior to that, he had been at the Moree Boomerangs for almost a decade
"I wanna give back to the Moree Boars for looking after me when I was a junior," he said. "It's something I was looking forward to."
I reckon we had them under the pump, and things just didn't go our way.
Last year Sampson started work as an Aboriginal education assistant at St Philomena's Catholic School. Before that, he had been a longtime learning support officer at Moree Secondary College.
"I just wanna give back to the community," he said of his work.
Sampson was speaking at Boughton Oval, where the inaugural Western Challenge knockout tournament was staged. Later that night, the veteran hooker's Moree Brothers were beaten 20-10 by Country King Browns in the final.
Six months earlier, he was part of the Boars side who lost the grand final to North Tamworth. That was the greatest disappointment of his life.
"I reckon we had them under the pump, and things just didn't go our way," he said.
As with life in general, sport often provides opportunities for redemption. And the Boars will be after that when the 2024 season gets under way.
Sampson said the side were "looking good", then added: "But I don't wanna talk too much about it - keep it under wraps."