AS the crow flies, it is just over 10,000 miles from Wembley to the western Sydney suburb of Revesby Heights.

There is also a nine-hour time difference, but that did not stop a young Steve Price from getting his Challenge Cup Final fix.

He would watch on television as the stars of the 1980s strutted their stuff and the likes of Widnes, Wigan and Hull FC dominated.

“It will have been very early in the morning,” Price recalled.

“We loved any sort of rugby league, so we would get up and watch it.

“It didn’t get much better than big games at Wembley, but I was a write-off the next day as a young fella.”

He also revealed an interesting family connection to the national stadium – one that dates back to 1975.

John Peek, Price’s father-in-law, was part of the Widnes squad that reached the Challenge Cup Final that year, although he did not play at Wembley.

He returned to Australia after the quarter-final stage at the request of his club, Canterbury, but was still given a winner's medal.

The team they beat to win the trophy? Warrington.

“My father in law played at Widnes in a year they won the Challenge Cup,” he said.

“He didn’t play in that game as his club were calling him back to Australia.

“He lived with Chris Anderson when he was over here at Widnes. He loved the experience here and enjoyed everything about England.”

Price himself has been a visitor to the new Wembley whilst in England with Cronulla Sharks, but for a totally different ball game.

“I had the opportunity to go and watch Arsenal play Man City at Wembley in 2014,” he said.

“I got to meet (City manager) Pep Guardiola as well when we were here with Cronulla last year.

“Since I’ve come here, I’ve definitely become something of a Man City fan.”