Ahead of a big Round 18 match against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Sione Mata'utia says he's happy to share the captaincy with experience forward Jamie Buhrer.
“Being captain alongside Jamie Buhrer is even better and it helps me out a lot," Mata'utia said.
“He is just a natural leader and I've learnt so much from him even when he is not on the field.
“It is even better to have him on the field as a captain and I’m definitely going to take a lot out of this and keep my eye on how he leads the team.”
Becoming a father is also another massive achievement he can’t wait for.
“My partner and I are expecting to have a baby at the end of the year, so exciting times,” Mata’utia smiled.
“It is one of those announcements where you can’t wait to let everyone know, it’s too good to hold it in."
The Knights forward is also ecstatic to play alongside brother Chanel this week, who was named on the wing, for his first NRL game since 2015.
“He has been working hard to get back from his injuries and has had a pretty hard run... but he’s been pretty resilient and stuck to it,” explained Mata’utia.
“It is going to be hard at Belmore and they’ve got something to play for with Josh Reynolds’ last game.
“It is going to be a really emotional ride."
Despite not playing alongside Chanel for a long while, the 21-year-old is confident he knows his sibling's game pretty well.
“We have seen his game for a long time now and there is no one else out there that knows it better than us brothers,” he said.
“We have that connection and it’s a little advantage that we have over the other team.
“To have my actual brothers next to me is going to be one of those even more motivating.”
Three grades are in action this Sunday with NYC to kick off at 12 noon before ISP at 1.45pm and NRL at 4pm.
