Back in the NRL Finals, the Penrith Panthers will need to rely heavily on the younger players in the squad this year if they have any chance of claiming their fifth consecutive premiership.
Following last year's win against the Melbourne Storm, the Panthers had to farewell trio James Fisher-Harris, Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva.
However, their departures opened up the door for others to take their place and inject new blood into an already formidable team.
Debuting in 2024, Casey McLean has been able to take his opportunity with both hands, replacing Turuva in the back-line, though it hasn't been all smooth sailing for the 19-year-old.
Earmarked as a key piece to Penrith's future, along with fellow young rising stars Blaize Talagi and Luron Patea, McLean started the season in fine form, scoring five tries in seven matches, but found himself dropped to reserve-grade in Round 10.
"It's all learning. I spoke to coach a few times and he said it's all a journey," McLean told Zero Tackle.
"You're not going to always have too many highs, you're going to have some lows and you're going to have to ride those well but it's just being able to move forward.
"You have to take those learnings and improve and just become a better player but also a better person."
Despite going from playing for New Zealand at the 2024 Pacific Championships to being dropped to NSW Cup, McLean only spent one match in reserve-grade and was able to bounce back with authority.
Since returning to first-grade, he has only lost three matches - two of those coming against the Storm and Raiders in the last three weeks - and formed an exceptional combination on the edge with Blaize Talagi and either Tom Jenkins or Paul Alamoti.
Moving from the wing to the centres, he has scored nine tries in his last seven appearances, which included doubles against the Rabbitohs, Knights and Raiders.
"He's fitted in exceptionally well here. He's his own character. He's quiet, but if you get into him a little bit, he becomes loud," McLean said of Talagi, whom he played against during his junior years on a few occasions.
"He is not trying to play too much in his head. He kind of just flows on and that's what we kind of let him do and we work off the back of that."
