STEVE Cazzulino has always felt the St George Cricket Club is family to him.
The Riverwood cricketer grew up playing in the St George juniors with fellow teammate and NSW all-rounder Moises Henriques at the Penshurst-West club.
"We're best mates and started playing cricket at eight years of age," Cazzulino, 28, said.
The left-hander made his way through the St George junior association and the representative teams.
He said playing for Saints was a life-long ambition which he realised.
Cazzulino won two first grade premierships with Saints then made the bold decision to further his first-class aspirations with Tasmania and moved interstate.
"I spent four years in Tasmania and played in the 2011-12 Sheffield Shield final, which we lost to Queensland at the Gabba," Cazzulino, 28 said.
After 13 games for the Apple Islanders, Cazzulino decided it was time to return home.
"I came back to Saints in the 2014-15 season," Cazzulino said.
"But I didn't really have a good season. I didn't make many runs."
But St George club co-patron and former top first grade batsman Warren Saunders was there for some timely advice.
"Warren said come with me and have a cup of tea and we will have a chat," Cazzulino said.
"Warren said to me he had times when he played when things didn't quite work out. For Warren, who is a legend of the club, to say that, it meant a lot to me."
On Saturday the Saints, who are unbeaten in their two one-day and two Twenty20 games this season, face Western Suburbs at Pratten Park, Ashfield.
It's the first two-day game of this season.
And Cazzulino has made 3990 runs in first and second grades at the club, averaging 37 and is nearing a milestone — 4000 runs.
"I would say I have played only 10 games in second grade, the rest in first grade," the opener said.
Henriques will be playing for NSW in the one-day series.
Saturday's side: Trent Copeland (c), Stewart McCabe, Steve Cazzulino, Kurtis Patterson, Ashton May, Damian Bourke, Nick Stapleton, Jonathan Rose, Darius Visser, Nathan Ellis, Eric Denhartog.