I would have loved to have stayed with the Knights, to repay the faith they showed in signing me a young kid. I’m grateful that Michael Hagan saw something in me back then, thankful for the opportunities that Nathan Brown has given me to play first-grade and learn from his coaching.

Sometimes in life, and especially in footy, you just end up taking different journeys.

THE BULLDOGS SWITCH

Playing for the Bulldogs comes next season and my full focus this year is on the Knights. I’m enjoying playing a role in first-grade, as Browny told me I could when he decided against an immediate release.

But here’s why I made the decision to join Canterbury.

The Bulldogs offered me the chance to be a starting halfback. During that recent trend of playing left and right halves, people started to view halfback and five-eighth as the same. But at most successful clubs, the playing style has reverted to a traditional, ball-dominant halfback with the five-eighth outside, playing in a combination on the same side of the ruck.

I’ve always played better as the organising No.7. At the Knights, that player will be Mitch.

So when you’ve got a club saying they want you for that role, putting the confidence in you, it’s hard to say no.

That time out of the NRL was disappointing. A big chance to show everyone what I could do had passed by.

I’ve worked with Dean Pay in junior rep teams, most recently with NSW under-20s. We had a successful team there, he made me captain and gave me plenty of confidence in my ability. I’ll be excited to work with him again; I like the way he approaches his coaching.

But Dean hasn’t made any promises about starting. I don’t want that, anyway. These days, a lot of nice-sounding promises are thrown around. You want to earn your jersey. Earn the respect of your teammates. Nothing should be just given to you.

If I prove myself, hopefully playing with Kieran Foran works well. He’s been playing the game at a high level for a while now and is probably best known as a strong runner of the footy. I play best as an organiser, so hopefully it’s a good combination.

Keeping an eye on the Dogs this season, there’s some déjà vu from my time at the Knights. Some salary cap and roster issues to work through, some tough times. But light ahead.

The Bulldogs are a strong club. They won’t accept the team staying near the bottom of the table for too long. I’m confident that going there is a good decision and they’ll bounce back over the next couple of years.

I was from that area when I was younger. I was born down there, I played under-6s there with Berala Bears – I even played an under-6s grand final at Belmore Oval (we lost). I’ve always known what the Bulldogs are about. I know they have a culture of success and a proud history, bearing famous names like Mortimer, Lamb and many others.

I’ve loved my time at Newcastle and leaving was just a footy decision. But in some ways, it’s also shaping as a life decision.

I’m planning to move to Sydney, having only half-moved out of mum and dad’s Central Coast home while playing with the Knights. I want to be close to training, to surround myself in the Bulldogs environment. I don’t know many people in Sydney. I have new teammates and have to earn their respect.

To be honest, I’m quite excited for the change. It’s something that will be good for me.

I’m at an age where my mates are moving to all different places around the world. I’m keen to have a change in life, not just footy.

One thing I need to work out is whether to switch my undergraduate degree to a Sydney uni or stay at Newcastle via correspondence. I’m working through a business degree part-time and have always been interested in sports management or administration as a post-footy career; the next-best thing to playing.

The Knights boys have given me the nickname ‘Business’ – partly because of uni, partly because I like to be pretty meticulous with my preparation for games. I don’t mind it, there are worse nicknames.

THE RISING KNIGHTS

Mitchell Pearce is a very decorated and successful player. I’m still young, so when it was decided I would be staying at Newcastle for 2018, I was keen to knuckle down and learn from him, pick his brain as much as I could. He’s been great for that, even after his injury.

He was a tough guy for us to lose seven rounds in; one of the NRL’s form players. His pectoral injury has given me more first-grade games than I was expecting this season. Playing a few in a row has been good for the confidence.

Browny asked me to take a dominant role in our attack – something that started when Mitch got injured, down two points with a couple of minutes to go against Wests Tigers.

Mitch had been steering the ship at halfback in that game and I was at five-eighth. When he got hurt, I knew I’d need to step up and be the main playmaker.

I guess I show my age a bit ordering the team around; some games I do it well, others I need to be better. It can be a daunting job, barking orders at all your teammates, some of whom you’ve watched on TV playing State of Origin. But that’s the halfback’s job and it’s what the team wants.

After that Tigers game, Kalyn Ponga said I’d told him, ‘It’s my team now. Let’s play some footy and win the game’. I don’t know if that was it word-for-word, but it was along those lines.

Luckily enough we had a pretty good set at the end, Jamie Buhrer put a nice kick on and Shaun Kenny-Dowall got the try for a two-point win.

We’ve already won more games than all of last season. The crowds in Newcastle are up – not that they ever went down too much. Newcastle fans stick solid.

This is an exciting time for the Knights. The club is headed back in the right direction. There are still a lot of calls to be made in the next few months but I think everyone involved has an eye on a successful long-term future.

I’d seen a few of his highlight videos, the ones that went viral on Facebook. I think I’d also played against him in juniors. And from day one of pre-season, we knew he was a serious talent.

To then see him bring to the NRL what he showed us in pre-season training, delivering week-in, week-out at that first-grade level … it’s been pretty spectacular, to be honest. It’s different footy – not your typical block-to-block attack, he just plays what’s in front of him.

He’s very skilful. His footwork is brilliant, his ball-playing is like having a second five-eighth; maybe he’ll end up there one day. I’m glad he’s on my team for now!

He’s already a big star and he’ll only continue to get better. He trains hard, loves what he does and is a grounded guy. If he stays on this track, he’ll be playing Origin, Tests and establish himself as one of the marquee players of the competition.