A year ago, Paul Alamoti was at the Bulldogs planning his off-season getaway. Now, he’s preparing to feature in his first-ever NRL Finals.
After successfully returning to first grade last week following surgery for a broken arm, the 20-year-old centre is almost bursting at the seams with excitement when he thinks about what lies ahead.
“They’re the reasons you play the game for moments like Finals and winning Premierships,” Alamoti told the Weekender on Tuesday.
“It will be my first Finals, and I can’t tell you how excited I am.
“It’s a dream come true. This is where I want to be.”
After arriving from Canterbury last November, Alamoti worked his way into the NRL team in Round 7 and virtually remained there until he broke his arm in Penrith’s thrilling Golden Point win over the Dolphins in Round 20.
Alamoti said getting settled into his new club was a “challenge” at first, but he’s been making the most of his opportunities.
“It was a long pre-season, and I started in Cup and had to work my way into the team,” he said.
“When I got my opportunity, I wanted to make it count – that was the biggest thing. I’m just grateful to be here.”
Another tough period was just recently when Alamoti spent five weeks on the sidelines through injury. During that time, 18-year-old rookie Casey McLean was starting to make a name for himself, which understandably made Alamoti a little concerned about where he fit moving forward.
The Milperra Colts junior said a conversation with coach Ivan Cleary put his mind at ease.
“Ivan told me about a week before I was due to return that he would put me back in, but he wanted me to have a game in Cup first to get the rust out of me,” Alamoti said.
“I remember going home, I was just grateful for the opportunity. I could tell straight away that Ivan has a lot of faith in me and to put me straight back in was pretty special.”
With a dozen tries to his name already this season, Alamoti is looking forward to repaying that faith as soon as this Saturday night when the Panthers clash with the Titans in a must-win final round blockbuster.
A win over Gold Coast will ensure Penrith play one last game at Penrith Park in the opening weekend of the Finals.
“We definitely need a win again this week to put a few good games together heading into Finals,” Alamoti said.
“You want to be hitting form at this time of year because you are what you are in the Finals.
“We want to make sure that our performance on the weekend will put us in good stead heading into September.”
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.