Daniel Saifiti had a hugely impressive 2016 season as the nib Newcastle Knights’ Rookie of the Year, but the 20-year-old prop has put that behind him and is aiming to take his game to the next level in 2017.
Having already gone through an NRL pre-season once, he knows the ropes and feels he can make another big step up.
“It was pretty intimidating last year, coming into the team as a young guy and training alongside the likes of Jeremy Smith and Jarrod Mullen,” he said.
“Now I’m just focused on having a bigger 2017 and seeing where I can take my footy.”
He says the intensity of training has been higher this time around as the coaching staff aims to push the squad further out of their comfort zone.
“I take it day by day… it’s hard to look too far into the future when training gets harder and harder,” he explained.
“Training has been harder than last year but it’s good to be around the boys again after a big break.
“Everyone gets along really well, so to come back in with the boys has probably been the best thing.”
Saifiti also says the team is looking to repay the faith it was shown by the fans in 2016, and after the season ended he realized more than ever how strong the Club’s support is.
“I thought about it when the season finished and considered myself pretty lucky to be at this Club,” he said.
“We were losing last year, and to get 12,000 fans every week was good for us.
“Once we start going well, hopefully we can repay the favour and give them the results they want to see.”
