HE has just completed the most intense pre-season training regime of his young rugby league career, but now things are about to step up another level for Brad Fearnley.
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The talented young lock has signed a two-year deal with the Penrith Panthers which will see him embark on his maiden SG Ball campaign next month.
The under 18s competition consists of 17 clubs and with the Panthers carrying the mantle of defending premiers, there will certainly be pressure to perform.
Still, given Fearnley was one of 75 hopefuls who impressed enough during the trial to make the cut, he clearly knows how to perform.
“It more or less started with the Western Rams, I got recognised through the Western Rams. Then I came down and had a six-week trial with Penrith before the pre-season,” Fearnley explained.
“It was some of the most intense training I’ve ever done. Everything has got to be perfect and it’s a different sort of heat down there.
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“There was plenty of competition for spots, every player they brought in to trial was quality. There were a lot of blokes trying out for the middle spots. You’ve got to be the fittest you can be to even begin to compete.
“I’d been going down every Friday and then the other day Jimmy Jones rang up my Dad and said ‘We want to sign up the young bloke for two years’.”
The 17-year-old follows in the footsteps of his father John and older brother Adam in linking with one of Australia’s elite league clubs.
John Fearnley played for the Parramatta Eels between 1991-94 and had three games with South Sydney, while Adam Fearnley was a member of the Panthers’ Jersey Flegg outfit which reached last year’s grand final.
“My brother is down there and he sort of paved the way, so I thought it would be good to go somewhere that I know,” he said.
“They’ve got all the modern equipment and that sort of stuff, so it sort of elevates your training to that next level. Everything has got to be done at the highest level you can do.”
This Friday Fearnley will have a trial game against Parramatta – the club he has followed his whole life – before the SG Ball season proper kicks off on February 2.
No doubt lining up against the Eels will be a highlight, while the Panthers’ round nine fixture in Perth against the West Coast Pirates is another contest Fearnley is looking forward to.
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After representing the Panthers in the SG Ball competition, the talented teenager will head back to Penrith in November to work with the Jersey Flegg squad.
He will still play his club football for the Bathurst Panthers in the Group 10 under 18s competition as well this season given the SG Ball competition runs over 13 weeks from February to May.
“It’s the unknown for me, if I happen to play a couple of games it will be the highest level of football I’ve ever played, so it will be a good test. I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I’ve obviously got to thank Dad a lot and Kurt Hancock from the Western Rams. They’ve instilled a lot of confidence in me to work and put myself at that next level and be the best player that I can be.
“I’ve got to thank Mum and my siblings as well for their support.”
