Blaize Talagi starting to fire ahead of showdown with former side
Parramatta fans thought Talagi would be their next superstar – especially with whispers Clint Gutherson was on the way out – but they now have to cheer on an Eels side missing their former skipper and one of the hottest young talents in the NRL.
Talagi broke their hearts when he told the club he wanted to leave last year, and it only got worse when their noisy neighbours signed him to replace Jarome Luai.
He now returns to CommBank Stadium to take on his old club, with Penrith needing a win to get off the foot of the table, with the Eels hoping to heap more pain on the champions.
Off-season shoulder surgery slowed down his partnership with Nathan Cleary, with Talagi forced to start the year in reserve grade before he finally earnt a start in round 6.
It was a clunky start but the young gun has quickly found his feet, headlined by four try assists against the Cowboys a few weeks ago when he only had eight in 19 games last year.
'He's really starting to grow in belief,' veteran back-rower Scott Sorensen said ahead of his return from suspension.
'Everyone is working hard, and he's right up there in working really hard on his game and understanding our system and his role in defence and attack.
'I think his confidence is starting to build, which is really exciting.
'Being out, you get to have a bit of a bird's-eye view on it. It's awesome to see his game grow, and his voice has grown as well.
'That comes with confidence and working on his combination with Nathan.'
Questions were being asked in the early rounds when Talagi wasn't getting picked, while plenty of tough judges were quick to sink the boot in when Penrith were losing with him in the team.
But he's starting to look more comfortable every week and hasn't been afraid to over call his famous halves partner if he sees something brewing on the left.
'He hasn't really missed a beat,' Sorensen said.
'He obviously had his shoulder surgery (in the pre-season) and I'm sure that would have played a part in building confidence and getting back into it.
'He just hasn't looked backwards. He's tried to grow and accept that this is his position now. He's been patient. There's a lot of outside noise, but he's believed in what's happening in the four walls here.
'I'm sure he's had conversations with Ivan, and you can see that he's taken his time to grow and learn our system. He's starting to blossom which is nice to see.'
Outside back Tom Jenkins played against his former side the Knights last week but said Talagi hadn't even brought up Parramatta ahead of this weekend's grudge match.
Jenkins was on the end of a stunning chip kick from Talagi to score against the Cowboys and said the young half's enthusiasm had been crucial for the four-time defending premiers who aren't stressing about being last on the ladder.
'I love playing with Blaize. He always brings the energy and he's one of those X-factor players that we look for,' he said.
'You never know what's going to happen around him, but it's usually pretty good.
'I didn't get to see him in pre-season, but from round 1 to now, it's clear to everyone that he's found his feet and he's developed.'
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