Harper is out to win Josh Morris' vacant wing spot at the Canterbury Bulldogs this year.

The 21-year-old hails from a tiny town in New Zealand and has been working his way through the Dogs lower-grades.

After becoming a father to twins at 17, Harper has strived to make it in the NRL.

"I've got two young kids and I want to be a bit of an example to them," Harper told AAP. "Coming from a small town like Ngaruawahia, if a young fella like me can make it, why can't they.

"I also just love playing football and want to get better and better."

Before he left for Cronulla, Morris singled out Harper as the man who should take over his spot in the backline in 2019.

"I was pretty stoked to hear that coming from a player like Josh, he's played Origin and for Australia," the Kiwi said.

"For him to see potential in me, it gave me a lot of confidence going into the (NSW Cup) finals. It gave me belief that I could one day play NRL."