"He does nothing at home and he does nothing in camp" Sironen snr jokes. "His mother looks after him too well."

And the countdown clock hasn't exactly started ticking either for the younger Sironen to up and find himself his own digs.

For a man who might want to run as far as he possibly he could from his father's shadow, you find him anything but.

The Balmain Tigers legend has been circling again this week as part of Brad Fittler's support staff in Wagga Wagga.

Either side of the McDonald's Park fence on Sunday will be a reminder of the family's legacy on the blue and gold jumper, most worn by Paul with eight appearances in the annual NSW Origin trial.

While Curtis may be treated as "just another player" in his father's words, it is also just another preparation for the 21-year-old with a familiar face in camp.

"It makes it easier in camp with his head popping in here," he says. "My preparation at home ... you get used to that environment so to have him here it's not too much of a change."

If having his father around the City set-up was reassuring, watching the uber-cool Brad Fittler delivering instructions has been another story.

Too young to fondly remember his father's playing days, Sironen is not ashamed to admit Fittler and Andrew Johns were the poster boys on the bedroom wall.

"He was one of my favourite players growing up, so I'm still in awe of him," Sironen jnr said.

"I don't how to string a conversation together [with Fittler]. Every time I look up on the field I've just got to take it in and anything he can teach me and I can take out of it I will."

What Fittler is finding with Sironen's second City coming is vastly different to what he saw during his first at Coffs Harbour.

For starters, this time he wasn't a late call-up with fewer than 10 NRL games to his name. He is not keeping to himself in the corner of the team bus or at the end of the dinner table and he is finally starting to get a run of games under his belt after a tortured couple of years with injury.

Even if that means quietly being satisfied with even the most meaningless milestones on face value, such as emerging from the first eight games this season with his body intact.

"It sounds bad, but it is [an achievement]," Sironen says. "My goal is to play every game this year and the first third is down and there's two to go. It has definitely helped my confidence and with this being one of my goals to get picked [for City], it was a good thing for me.

"I got called into the team late last time [in 2013] and I don't think I was prepared for it. I took a back seat and was overwhelmed by the experience. It might have showed in the game because I wasn't involved as much as I might like.

"I definitely know this time you can't be like that if you want to play rep footy. You've just got to be dominant and put your best foot forward by being involved. Even in camp I've been more sociable and have been trying to get to know everyone."

His father reckons the body has a lot to do with it. The frame that has suffered through a couple of shoulder reconstructions and a broken foot is now starting to mould into that of a battle hardened back-rower.

That comes while good friend and Tigers teammate James Tedesco rides his own wave of momentum into City colours.

"He's had a fair amount of adversity, to be honest, but I've seen how hard he's worked to get back," Sironen snr says. "And what he is, is meticulous in his preparation and his rehab.

"It's a tough part of the game and his body wasn't ready for NRL when he first started. He debuted when he was 18 and his build now [is very different] to what it was two-and-a-half or three years ago.

"He got picked for City two years ago when he played half-a-dozen games and I don't think he was quite ready for it, but it was good just to give him a glimpse of blokes who had been at that rep level before.

"I think as a back rower in 12 months time he'll be a lot better player. Blokes develop over different times with body shapes.

"He gets another full off-season under his belt he'll only be 22. People forget that [he's that young] and I think there's a level of expectation from him, but he's played less than 50 first grade games."

And when he has played 150 games?

"It's not a bad life at home," he smiles. "That's why I don't plan on moving out for a while either."