Newcastle Knight Jacob Saifiti backed up his maiden NRL match with another solid personal performance against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday.
The 19-year-old, playing in the second row, received recognition from head coach Nathan Brown for his effort in a challenging loss.
“It’s bitter sweet I guess. It’s good to get a mention from Browny and know I’m doing my job right, but no matter what Browny says, I would rather get the win any day of the week,” he said on Monday.
Saifiti spoke candidly about how he’s managed the step up in intensity and how he hopes the more minutes he plays, the stronger he’ll become as a competitor.
“I’m still getting used to the pace,” he said.
“The forwards, we couldn’t slow them down. Every time we’d get back to the line it felt like I was turning around and they were coming straight at us.
“It took a bit of sting out of my attack and was faster than I expected.
“The boys are making my job easier, which is good.
“I am young, but I want to test myself against the likes of Sam Burgess to see where I’m at the moment so I was looking forward to it.”
The Newcastle Knights now prepare for their Round 3 match against the Canberra Raiders with the young talent turning to the Club’s trial match against the opposition for an indication of what to expect on Saturday at Hunter Stadium.
“We need to be more consistent all over the park,” he said.
“In the second half when we started playing well, we just stuck to our guns and did what the coaches told us to do like have line speed, kick chase and wrestle
“We came good and we didn’t let a point in.
“If we do our job I think we’ll be good.”
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