SYDNEY Roosters star Blake Ferguson never really knew his father — and that’s the simple reason he’s prepared to miss this year’s grand final if it means attending the birth of his son.

On the same day he inked a new two-year deal with the Bondi club, Ferguson said he was more than happy to put family ahead of the biggest NRL game of the year should the premiership favourites reach the decider.

Ferguson’s partner Bianca is due to give birth on October 16, less than a fortnight after the grand final.

It sounded like a throwaway line, but then Ferguson gave his heartfelt reasons for wanting to be by his partner’s bedside.

“I won’t play in the GF if he comes early, I’ll tell you. I won’t be missing my son’s birth,’’ Ferguson said.

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“My dad was never there when I was born. I want to be different, I want to be there every step of the way.

“It will be a good little ride for me and my partner. It will be different. I’ve been around kids, but not had my own kids. I reckon I’ll be a good dad. I can’t wait.’’

Ferguson had little contact with his paternal father Steve Lyons. Department of Community Services officers removed him from his mother’s care when he was 13, and shifted him to Wellington in the state’s west, to live with his grandmother.

For all his past sins, Ferguson, now 25, now realises the world doesn’t revolve around him.

“I’ve been sacked, not wanted, thrown through the trash can. I think I’ve learned lessons myself, and learned the hard way,’’ said Ferguson, who was punted by Canberra in 2013 for off-field indiscretions.

Ferguson speaks proudly about the Roosters family, the same tight-knit group who have stood by Shaun Kenny-Dowall. Kenny-Dowall will front court on Thursday over domestic violence charges, and been named to play directly outside Ferguson on the right wing against Newcastle.

media_camera Ferguson is adamant he won’t miss the birth of his first child.

Ferguson feared the worst when he broke down with a foot injury earlier this season. Signed to a one-year deal loaded with incentives, all sorts of negative thoughts swirled through Ferguson’s head.

“When it happened I felt a little depressed to be honest, and I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’, ‘if this doesn’t work out, where will I go?, and I’m back to square one’,’’ Ferguson said.

“It was a good test for me mentally.

“We’d already been speaking beforehand (about a new deal). To get two years is nice and settling, and with a little family on the way, I have to look after them, that’s what it’s about for me.’’

The Roosters remain firm title favourites with the bookies, and meet cellar-dwellers Newcastle on Sunday.

Ferguson has emerged as an attacking weapon out wide.

He said the return of Kenny-Dowall was a real boost, and the Kiwi international was ready for a return to the top flight. “He’s slipped back in, the old ‘Skidsy’ is back. We love ‘Skidsy’,’’ Ferguson said.