JOSH Belfanti had been planning on a big start to the 2021 rugby league season, but lining up for the Penrith Panthers in a trial against Parramatta on Friday night is bigger than he'd ever imagined.
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The talented Saints centre turned back rower will do so after gaining selection in Penrith's SG Ball side for the upcoming season.
"I can't wait to get down there for that, I wish I could get down there earlier," Belfanti enthused.
While pulling on a Panthers jersey on Friday will mark the biggest moment of Belfanti's league career thus far, he is no stranger to success.
He enjoyed a stellar run while playing for St Pat's in Group 10 Junior Rugby League competitions.
In 2013 he scored the last try of the season for a Saints side that went undefeated, his effort three minutes from full-time icing the blue and whites' commanding 46-0 grand final win over Blayney.
The following season as the Saints went undefeated once more Belfanti again got his name on the scoreboard in a grand final - this time booting a conversion in a 16-10 win over Bloomfield as an under 12.
He scored a try in the hard-fought 28-22 grand final win over Orange CYMS at under 15s level while in 2019 Belfanti was a member of the under 18s Saint side which beat Bathurst Panthers 20-8 in the decider.
There's also been plenty of representative football for Belfanti too, both for Group 10 and Western. Last year he helped the Rams into the finals of the under 16s Andrew Johns Cup finals before COVID-19 forced a premature end to that competition.
Belfanti's goal for the start of 2021 was to impress for the under 18 Rams in the Laurie Daley Cup. He worked hard in their first pre-season training sessions and was asked to trial for the Penrith Panthers.
Then came last Saturday's final trial for the SG Ball squad. He made the cut.
"I had a couple of training sessions with Panthers before Christmas and then the trial on the weekend," Belfanti said.
"I was a bit surprised by it all. My goal was to have a good year with the Rams this year and hopefully get a crack with the SG Ball side next year when I was 19, the top age for it.
"So it was a surprise, I wasn't expecting to get picked."
Belfanti's selection came just over a week before his 18th birthday. Now he's in the squad, he is determined to learn and make the most of his chance.
"You learn a heap of stuff, just those little attention to detail things. I thought I already knew a lot, but they show you a lot of stuff, just little things, but they help you go a long way," he said.
"A starting position is the goal for me, but then again if I don't get that spot, then I'm happy to push the boys that are in the team, just make the team better really."
Belfanti is one of four Western region players picked, with Dubbo pair Aston Warwick and Brandon Hamilton plus Orange's Jack Cole also getting the nod.
"It definitely helps having them there, especially the first couple of weeks where you don't really know anyone. To have a couple of the Western boys there who I'd played footy with before definitely helped," Belfanti said.
The Panthers open their SG Ball campaign on February 6 against South Sydney.
