Myles Martin has proved he can train with men, the next step for the Bathurst talent is to prove he can play against them.
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The emerging Knights forward, who turned 19 this week, skippered Newcastle's SG Ball side that went down 28-22 to Parramatta in the under-19 competition's grand final last Saturday.
Having completed his first NRL pre-season over summer, and trained with Newcastle's first-grade squad all year, Martin was a unique link from the top of the club down to essentially its fourth-tier side this season.
"It was in my contract to do development, so I did a pre-season with the NRL this year," Martin said.
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was probably one of the best things for me.
"I learned a lot from the boys teaching me, and it definitely helped a lot bringing it back down to SG [Ball] and showing them as well."
Martin, a St Pat's product, led the way in SG Ball this season but the side fell agonisingly short of claiming of what would have been the club's first title in the NSWRL competition since 2011.
The Eels raced to a 12-0 lead in the game, but the Knights levelled the scores by half-time. Again in the second half, the Eels scored the opening two tries but Newcastle never gave up and were in with a chance right up until full-time.
Speaking after the game at Leichhardt Oval, Martin said he was proud of what the side achieved despite falling at the final hurdle.
"It was tough, we started a bit slow and then come back but couldn't get there in the end," he said.
"I'm proud of their efforts, the whole game, we couldn't seal that last bit. I'm so proud of them to get this far."
Martin will now join the under 21 Jersey Flegg squad for the rest of the year.
But the lock forward doesn't want to stop there.
"A couple of us will go up into Flegg, and even myself hopefully I get to NSW Cup and get a couple of games up there," he said.
Martin joined the Knights last year after a couple of seasons at Parramatta. A country boy, the opportunity to live in Newcastle, rather than Sydney, was too good to refuse. His parents have also since relocated with him.
"I didn't like the city, so between [Newcastle] and Parra, this had the country sort of vibe about it. It suits me better," he said.
Knights officials have high hopes for Martin, who will actually move into the club's top-30 roster next year.
He appears destined to ultimately feature in the NRL, but Martin isn't getting ahead of himself.
He knows he still has plenty to prove and is eyeing a couple of more goals in 2023 before another big pre-season next summer to continue building his frame.
"The 19s Origin is on this year, so that's definitely a goal to get into that," he said.
"And to get back into training and definitely get a NSW Cup game this year."
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