Penrith have promoted exciting winger Brian To'o to their 30-man squad, with the 20-year-old signing an upgraded deal with the Panthers until the end of the 2020 season.
To'o is now in the running to make his debut in what would be a shock inclusion into Friday's clash against the New Zealand Warriors, having been on a NRL development contract with Penrith.
โIโm so grateful to be in this position and to have this incredible opportunity to make my NRL debut,โ Toโo told the club's website.
โFrom the moment I played SG Ball with the Panthers, I told myself I had to stay hungry and work hard every day to reach this point.
โI canโt wait to feel the atmosphere when I take my first step onto the field tomorrow night.โ
To'o, a local junior, progressed through Penrith's development pathways, including a premiership and national championship title for the Panthers SG Ball side in 2016.
To'o represented New South Wales' U20's Origin side in 2018 and has been a key component in Penrith's Jersey Flegg side for two seasons.
The winger's Canterbury Cup campaign did not go unnoticed, winning a selection in the NSW Residents squad last week.
โBrian is an outstanding example of what can be achieved thanks to the hard work of the Panthers development staff,โ Panthers General Manager Rugby League Matt Cameron told penrithpanthers.com.au.
โHe is a home-grown talent who has come through the system and earned his way into the NRL squad.
โHe brings great energy to our team and we are all excited to see what the future holds for him.โ
Is this to cover for DWZ to Parra?
More likely Josh Mansour would be gone by seasons end.
Sad if true โ he has been a loyal servant for the Panthers
As much as Gould helped the club in so many ways. He got so many signings & non signings wrong.
Re-signing Mansour & letting Sivo go were just two of those mistakes.
Itโs not sad. Itโs a business & every club lets players go when theyโre just not up to first grade level any longer.
Mansour isnโt up to it any more.
If itโs true that Maloney could go this season & maybe Mansour can find somewhere else to play?
It would be a huge saving for Penrith & money they could spend elsewhere.
How about that 2041.
A very good Penrith junior.
They didnโt have to buy him from Parramatta.
Nope , thatโs what the StEels have to do.
So when will The StEels be looking to sign him?
Whenโs that great junior system going to be kicking in at Parramatta Kev/2041 ? Maybe they could look there for a change, next time they think they may need a player?