While Jack Cogger recently announced he’ll depart the nib Newcastle Knights at the end of the 2018 season to commence a two-year contract with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, the 20-year-old has reiterated his commitment to the Club this year.
“It’s a long way away yet, so I’m sure I’ll be excited when that time comes but it’s a while off at the moment,” Cogger explained.
“I want to play a part big here at the Knights, play as much first grade as I can, and hopefully become a better player for it.”
The young halfback, whose up against a wave of competition this year including the likes of Mitchell Pearce and veteran halfback Trent Hodkinson, has a few goals he wants to achieve this season.
He’s aiming to add more weight to his 83-kilogram frame and add to his eight career NRL appearances for the Club.
“Physically a couple more kilos would be good, and there’s always the skills side of the game,” Cogger added.
“Hopefully I can play a couple of first grade games or as many as I can and play a part in what will be a good season for the Knights.”
Having new recruits like Pearce has boosted the youngster’s confidence on the paddock.
“As a halfback learning about game management, it’s an under rated skill, and something Mitch has been good at for a number of years,” said Cogger.
“He’s done it at a grand final and State of Origins so just how you go about that and how you get yourself in the game.
“I’ll definitely get more tips from him and other experienced players as the season progresses.”
The Knights halfback will use the upcoming trials to show his continued improvement following a tough pre-season.
“You always want to show what you have learned over the pre-season and you want to become a better player from last year,” maintained Cogger.
“Each week you try to become better and the trials are just the start of that, hopefully leading into the season.”
Cogger is also excited about the calibre of players the Knights Reserve Grade side will field this year.
“We’re going to have some really experienced guys; guys that have played a lot of NRL in that team and some that have played international footy,” he explained.
“We’ll be quite strong in that competition this year, which is really good, and it’s only going to better us if we have to go up and play first grade.
“We’ll be better for it, playing in a strong Reserve Grade team.”
