New recruit Tom Jenkins says he felt like “a little kid going to school” when he began pre-season coaching with the Knights, however he’s going to should graduate rapidly with loads of competitors to exchange try-scoring machine Dom Young on the appropriate wing subsequent yr.
The English large scored a staggering 25 tries in 25 video games for Newcastle final season, however Jenkins does arrive within the Hunter boasting an similar strike price, albeit from a smaller pattern measurement.
The former Panther scored 5 tries from 5 NRL video games this yr and added one other 14 in reserve grade, the place he has dominated whereas watching the extra established stars win three titles in three years.
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The lack of spots is among the causes the 22-year-old has headed north, however he accepts that it’s removed from a on condition that he’ll substitute Young – now on the Roosters – with Enari Tuala and Krystian Mapapalangi additionally within the combine to affix Greg Marzhew on the flanks.
“(The wing spot) is definitely a carrot, but there’s so much competition here,” Jenkins stated.
“You’ve got boys like Enari and ‘Maps’, so there’s a high level of competition and I love that, and I know the other boys do as well.
“I’m not coming here saying ‘that spot’s mine’ because nothing’s yours until you earn it.
“We’re all keen to earn it and that’s going to push us to be better.
“It all comes down to reliability, and if you’re going to get that 50-50 shot of scoring a try, I like to think that I can do it more times than not, and that’s a big focus playing on the wing.
“You’re usually the last one that’s going to touch it when scoring in the corner situation, so I hope that bringing (my skills) into it is a big part.
“There are so many other things like yardage carries, being good defensively and helping out your mates, and that’s a big part of (winning the wing spot).”
Jenkins has come by a system the place success is sort of anticipated, however he joins a membership that’s on the rise and eager to construct on their unbelievable end to the 2023 season once they gained 10 on the trot earlier than the Warriors knocked them out.
“The last 10 games shows the type of club it is and where the club’s headed and the direction (they’re going in),” he stated.
“I couldn’t wait to be a part of that kind of thing.
“For me and my family, I think this was the best option, for sure.
“It’s clear that something special is building, and I’m so keen to be a part of that.”
Playing alongside Dally M Medal winner Kalyn Ponga, veteran Dane Gagai and a world-class ahead pack was an enormous incentive for Jenkins to affix the Knights, and there’s an expectation from some within the area that he can deliver the successful edge from the Panthers system that may take Newcastle to the subsequent degree.
But that’s not one thing he’s shopping for into, with Jenkins evaluating Newcastle’s pre-season to those he went by in Sydney’s west.
“You don’t really know what it’s like until you’re there, and I personally wasn’t in the full-on scene of it, but I’ve been around it and I understand it,” he stated of Penrith’s tradition.
“I think holding that high standard for a prolonged period that’s not one day here or one day there, doing that is something I can bring to the table.
“But the standards here are just as high as they were at Penrith so it’s easy to hold them up there when it’s already there.
“I’m not a person that’s going to be dragging them up when the boys are already setting them – I just need to keep them up there.”
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
