The Newcastle Knights have confirmed the arrival of Penrith Panthers outside back Thomas Jenkins on a two-year contract.
An exciting prospect, Jenkins made hisย NRLย debut in Round 25 of the 2022 season when Penrith rested most of their best 17 for the final round game against theย North Queensland Cowboys, but the talented youngster could only follow that up with five games this year.
Despite having the ability to play in the centres and on the wing, he was stuck behind an elite backline at the Panthers, and that wasn't about to get any better with the club welcoming backย Taylan May from injury and signingย Paul Alamoti.
Even with the loss ofย Stephen Crichtonย to theย Canterbury Bulldogs, Jenkins still would have been down the pecking order at the foot of the mountains asย Ivan Cleary's side get ready to chase a historic four-peat.
โWe see Tom as a long term NRL player and we are thankful he chose the Knights," Newcastle Knights Director of Football Peter Parr said in a club statement.
โHe has a skillset we believe complements our style of play and will add valuable depth to our outside backs.โ
The Knights have lostย Dominic Youngย in a big-money move to theย Sydney Roosters, so have a spot open on the wing, and it could be argued other spots in their backline will be up for grabs without a strong start to the season.
That leaves Jenkins with potentially far more opportunity at Newcastle than he otherwise would have had at the Panthers, provided a deal gets done.
