It's taken years for the penny to drop but monstrous Cronulla Sharks prop Braden Hamlin-Uele is finally ready to deliver on his immense potential.

A junior Kiwis representative, the 115-kilogram, six-foot-two Hamlin-Uele openly admits he was wasting his undoubted ability in seasons gone by.

The 24-year-old lacked the professionalism to succeed in the NRL. His diet was poor and he wasn't able to churn out long minutes in the middle at the elite level.

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"I let myself get a bit big in the wrong way and lost a lot of fitness," he tells Sporting News.

After debuting for North Queensland in 2017, he signed a two-year deal with Cronulla in search of an opportunity.

Instead of cementing himself as a first grader, Hamlin-Uele added only one more NRL match to his tally with the Sharks in 2018.

He was clearly too good to play for Cronulla's feeder team Newtown Jets in the second-tier competition – often tearing sides apart on his own – but there he languished.

Determined to get back to the top, Hamlin-Uele overhauled his eating habits and upped his commitment to training in a bid to reboot his stagnant career.

His efforts have been duly rewarded, the front-rower featuring in consecutive NRL fixtures for the first time in the past two rounds.

"This year I think the light switch has clicked in," he says.

"My off-field stuff was a bit 'how ya going', so this year I've really cracked down.

"I was more than happy to play for Newtown. We had a great team and a great bunch of young blokes and made the grand final, so I was more than happy to wait my time.

"It's a personal thing. I'm 24 now and I think it's time that if I really want to do this, I have to realise it. It's unfortunate that it took so long to realise it but better late than never.

"It just goes to show that you need to do all the little things right just to get on the field and keep there.

"Getting these back-to-back games shows me that I can really do it."

Hamlin-Uele has provided strong impact from the interchange, helping to swing the momentum in Cronulla's favour last Thursday as they overcame a 14-point deficit to beat Penrith.

He contributed 96 metres from 11 carries against the Panthers on top of 20 tackles in an impressive 25-minute stint.

It was enough to see him hold his spot for Saturday night's clash with the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

"That's the goal. That's why I'm here, to play first grade," Hamlin-Uele says.

"So I'm just happy to be in the team this week again."

Hamlin-Uele's role is straightforward – be aggressive and up the tempo when injected into the fray.

"The coaches ask me to just go out there and run hard and tackle hard. It makes my job a lot easier when it's that simple," he explains.

"I'm really happy, I feel a lot fitter and stronger this year than previous years. I plan to use that as much as I can."

The Sharks are wary of a desperate Brisbane side searching for their second win of the season.

The under-pressure Broncos forward pack has a point to prove but Hamlin-Uele is out to dominate them and ram home a message of his own.

"Every game's a challenge for me. They're a big pack and they're a young pack and they bring a lot of energy, so I think we definitely have to match that," he says.

"I'll take some responsibility on that because I always want to go out there and put my best foot forward.

"They've got a lot of strike power across the park and the whole forward pack is young, energetic and big, so there's a couple of forwards in there I'd like to take on.

"We'll see how it goes."

An eye-catching performance could go a long way to securing Hamlin-Uele's future.

Uncontracted next year, the former Sydney Roosters under-20s player wants to settle in Sydney's Sutherland Shire.

"I live in Hurstville so it's not too far. I'm always down here every day and it'd be nice to start solidifying a spot in that team so I can build a life around here," he says.

"Whatever happens, I love the Shire. The boys are good and the area's nice."

And he has already marked out what he wants to achieve with his renewed focus.

"Play as many first grade games as I can. Ultimate goal is to win a grand final, really," he says.

"Short-term, just to keep plugging away and keep playing first grade consistently."