BEN Creagh isn't used to seeing footballers quit.

No, in a career boasting Test caps, NSW Origin jerseys, even an NRL premiership ring, this St George Illawarra captain has spent 11 years mixing with some of the toughest, most determined athletes in Australia.

"So when it came to University, I couldn't understand why so many gave up,'' he says. "To me, it seemed such a waste."

Which is why, having recently graduated from Wollongong University with a commerce degree, Creagh is now working alongside the NRL to establish his 'Graduates of League' program - a unique venture which partners studying footballers with a paid tutor.

Already adopted by nine NRL clubs, Creagh is determined to get all 16 on board within 12 months.

"The aim is to bust this myth that footballers are only good for training or using PlayStation,'' he says.

"When I first started my degree, there weren't too many league players studying. And those that were, I noticed a lot were only lasting a year or two before quitting.

"So I started speaking with them and discovered time management was a problem. Just not having the time, in between all the commitments that now come with playing footy full-time, to physically get themselves to all the extra classes and lectures."

media_camera St George-Illawarra Dragons NRL team captain Ben Creagh graduates from Wollongong University in December 2013.

And so Creagh established Graduates of League.

A program that pays university graduates to partner with league players as their private tutor. So successful has it proved at his own club, there are now 26 St George Illawarra footballers involved in tertiary studies.

"We work with the students who haven't just completed the course, but have been right at the top end in terms of their marks,'' Creagh says. "And while they do get paid, it's certainly not a huge amount.

"Mostly, the tutors are league fans who appreciate what we're trying to achieve. They enjoy the challenge of helping someone else achieve and that enthusiasm, it becomes infectious.

"That's important because, given footballers study part-time, it can often seem like there is no end in sight. The thought of sticking at something for five or six years, it can seem incredibly daunting.

"But there are so many footballers out there with strong academic backgrounds . . . we don't want them throwing opportunities away."

As for his own ambitions, Creagh, now 28, is looking to move into the banking sector when he retires. So what chance he will call NRL CEO Dave Smith for a reference?

"I'm hoping to mix some work experience in with footy over the next couple of years so, yeah, it would be nice if he could give me a leg up,'' Creagh laughs. "Although I do have a few friends in the industry so I should probably speak with them first."