But wait. There’s more. Stevens has a university degree in commerce, and though it’s an achievement which he himself downplays it’s still the exception rather than the rule in the blue-collar world of rugby league.

And to cap it off, Stevens has just become a published author with the release of Worth the Wait: True Love And Why The Sex Is Better. It’s not unknown for footballers to write books, but this one is different. It’s not the standard collection of footballing stories and bar room banter.

Instead, it’s a book with a message. A message Jason Stevens is passionate about: refraining from sex before marriage.

“I had some pretty poor relationships where I was left feeling unfulfilled, so I took a step back and started to consider the whole thing about the physical side of relationships,” he says.

“Once I came to the conclusion it was better to wait until marriage and I went public with that I got a lot of response, a lot of people encouraged me and a lot of people wanted to know why.”

“No-one had ever explained to me why you should save sex for marriage. I wanted to help people consider this way of life.”

Encouragement came from friends, footballing peers and acquaintances, among them Booker Prize winning author and league fanatic Thomas Kenneally. Spare moments on flights, in hotel rooms and between training sessions became writing time.

Not that Stevens was spared from that universal literary curse: writer’s block.

“I actually had a stage where I took probably five or six months off it because I got stale with it. I needed a break. You can mull over something in your head so many times and you just get flat,”

“It’s just like with footy when there’s so many games on that sometimes you have a period of flatness. Mentally it was the same, I needed to take some time out and get the strength and energy to keep going.”

Add in the complications of self-publication and the achievement suddenly becomes even more impressive. Not only did Stevens research and write the book, he organised the typesetting, the cover layout, the distribution and even the type of paper.

“That was a whole new ball game because I’m just so new to the business. I didn’t know what a distributor was, I didn’t know what the role of the printer really was, what I had to supply the printer, there was just so much.”

“But I found that, really, if I believed in the book, that self-publishing was the way to go. It meant I took all the risks and put up all the capital but I believed in it, and I think it’s going to do well.”

And now, almost three years after he started, the book is finally finished. Not a bad accomplishment for a full time footballer with no experience in publishing or writing books. While he is grateful for the assistance of writers Diane Parker and Leon Nacson, the book was still almost entirely a solo effort.

Stevens’ former partner in front row crime, Martin Lang, is clearly impressed. “[Jason’s] been working on it for a while,” said the Penrith prop.

“It’s a message he’s been wanting to get out and I think he’s done really well—good luck to him.”

His coach at the Sharks and Australia, Chris Anderson, has also been positive. “He’s copped a bit of stick, but I think everybody appreciates the fact that he’s taken a strong stance on his attitude to life.”

“I think he’s got a story to tell. Most of the other [players] haven’t got that story, or they have but they probably couldn’t tell it.”

“It’s something out of the ordinary, a story people want to hear.”

So now that the story has been written, packaged and distributed, is the literary career of Jason Stevens over? Not yet, he says.

“I think I do have more books in me actually, maybe one for when my wife comes along.”

“When Chris Anderson came to the launch of the book he said ‘Congratulations Stevo, but I still don’t see why you’re celebrating not having sex!’ I just said to him ‘Mate, if that’s how I celebrate not having sex imagine how excited I’ll be when I do!’”

Jason Stevens already has something to celebrate—his principles, which he hopes will provide guidance and direction to others.

“The main message that I’d like to get across in the book is that sex is a valuable thing. It’s a wonderful thing and it’s something to be enjoyed to the max, it’s just that there are principles that you need to apply in your life and trust that you need to build up in your relationships before you can actually get to a relationship that involves sex that actually lasts.

“I’m totally for sex, I’m looking forward to sharing it with my wife, but I’ve found it’s only best in a committed relationship and I guess the book explains why.”