Panthers playmaker Blaize Talagi has opened up on the challenge of replacing Jarome Luai as the Samoan teammates prepare to face off this weekend.
Talagi moved to Penrith this year to take on the daunting job of filling the void left by the departure of a crucial piece of the side's four-year reign of NRL dominance.
It's a challenging task for any player, let alone a then-19-year-old with just 19 first grade games to his name at the start of the season.
Throw in the fact Talagi had a condensed pre-season after travelling to England to play for Samoa late last year followed by off-season shoulder surgery and it's little wonder the five-eighth took some time to find his feet in the Panthers' No.6 jumper.
Blaize Talagi Try
Five months into the NRL campaign and the youngster has found his groove, playing a key role in Penrith's mid-season resurgence.
The Panthers are chasing a seventh-straight victory when they take on Luai's Tigers at CommBank Stadium on Saturday evening.
"It was a bit challenging when I first came here with all the talk about me filling his shoes," Talagi told 42025.com. "As I've been here longer, as a group we've talked about we're not here to fill anyone's shoes.
"You're here to be yourself and that's helped me grow each week and that's showing on the field."
Match: Panthers v Wests Tigers
Round 21 -
home Team
Panthers
6th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
12th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Talagi's Samoan call up brought him side by side with the man he was destined to replace for the first time.
The youngster came off the bench in the first Test against England before partnering Luai in the halves for the second match.
While there wasn't too much specific talk about the Panthers and the role he was preparing to take on, Talagi made the most of the opportunity to learn first-hand from a four-time premiership winner.
"Jarome's a special player," Talagi said. "He knows how to carry a team and lead by his actions. That's something I learnt from him.
"He's a really good mentor. He gives a lot of time to the younger boys and helped us a lot, especially at training. He would show us how to do things and I learnt a lot watching the intensity he trains at."
Talagi's current focus is on helping Penrith secure their place in the top eight as they chase a fifth-straight premiership, but he also has one eye on what's to come after the grand final.
Samoa will return to the Pacific Championships to take on New Zealand and Tonga in what will be a fascinating entree to next year's World Cup.
Should both men remain healthy, it will provide Talagi with another chance to link up with Luai and develop their combination.
The pair briefly caught up after Penrith's win over the Tigers in Round 14 and they will have another chat post-game this weekend.
Talagi doesn't need to think hard when asked how much he's grown since last year's Samoan tour. While the side lost both games against England, he's confident they will have more success this year if given the chance to reunite with Luai.
Samoa open England tour with the Siva Tau
"I'm looking forward to going again with Jarome," Talagi said. "I've grown so much as a person and a player since last time I played with him so I think there'll be a different feeling to it.
"It's going to be crazy coming back to the Pacific Championships. It's a whole other level of rugby league and I'm looking forward to that challenge. I'm sure the fans will get behind it because it's such a big game playing New Zealand and Tonga."
