Rookie Penrith Panthers half Kurt Falls is reportedly set for more game time in the 2022 season, and it could give him another opportunity to put himself in the shop window for rival clubs.
Falls, who is 25 years of age, finally made his NRL debut on Friday evening as he and Sean O'Sullivan replaced Penrith star halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, who were unavailable thanks to State of Origin selection in Brad Fittler's NSW Blues squad ahead of Game 1 next Friday.
Born in Penrith, the debutant has had to wait for his shot at the big time, plying his trade in the NSW Cup where Penrith have have had plenty of success.
The reserve grade team currently sit in first place on the competition ladder with nine wins from twelve games, although that includes a loss on Friday night to the St George Illawarra Dragons when a host of regular players - including Falls - were in the first-grade team.
Falls also had Penrith cruising last year in the NSW Cup, the side winning 11 games from 12 starts he was involved in before the coronavirus cancelled the competition.
There is no guarantee Falls will go back to the NSW Cup next weekend, with it likely to hinge on how both Luai and Cleary pull up from Origin ahead of the Round 14 match against the Newcastle Knights, however, The Daily Telegraph are reporting that the clash against the Wests Tigers in Round 18 - directly after Origin 3 - could see Penrith rest multiple stars, paving the way for Falls to have another game.
Falls' NSW Cup halves partner - and first-grade partner on Friday - Sean O'Sullivan has already been linked with a move away from the Panthers at the end of the season after he had an excellent start to the campaign filling in for an injured Cleary.
It's reported that Falls could be the next player to gain substantial interest from outside of the western Sydney club though, with both the Dolphins, Titans and Warriors potentially in the market for a halfback.
Falls told News Corp he wasn't interested in speculating though.
“I’m just looking at next week, that’s the next job,” he said.
“I’m not looking too far into the future. I’m happy just doing my job here. If I get another game, I’ll be stoked.”
Falls' debut and opportunity to put himself in the shop window couldn't have come at a better time.
He is one of just a handful of halves who remain off-contract at the end of 2022, with Matt Frawley, Ben Hampton, Matt Moylan, Simi Sasagi, Billy Walters, Phoenix Crossland, Cooper Johns, Albert Kelly, Jock Madden, Anthony Milford, Sam Williams and halves partner Sean O'Sullivan among the best of the rest.
It's a list which won't inspire a great deal of confidence in club's chasing a half, and so the off-contract Falls could become hot property, particularly if he manages more first-grade action before the end of the year.
