With an astonishing 38 tries from 45 games during two seasons in the Under 20s competition, Kurtis Rowe is ready to take on his next challenge.
The New Zealand-born fullback has begun pre-season training with the full-time squad and is pushing to achieve his ultimate goal in 2014 an NRL debut.
With Wests Tigers Rookie of the Year James Tedesco and Tim Moltzen also featuring in the 33-man squad next season, Coach Mick Potter has plenty of options for the number one jersey.
The competition at fullback is really tough with Teddy (Tedesco) having a good year, but Id be happy to play anywhere on the park, Rowe said.
We are all fighting for spots and its about performing and staying consistent.
During his stellar 2013 season, Rowe played primarily fullback but also spent time on the wing as he racked up 26 tries from 26 games.
At just 82 kilograms, Rowe is hoping that a tough pre-season will increase his size as he makes the transition into senior football.
My ultimate goal next year is obviously try to make my NRL debut but also to get a bit more size on me, Rowe said.
It has been good to get back into training and a have that routine again.
Following the Wests Tigers NYC semi-final loss to Canberra, Rowe received the honour of playing representative football, as he pulled on the Junior Kiwis jersey for the first time.
Despite the Junior Kangaroos eventually running out 38-26 winners, Rowe turned in another solid performance, crossing for the first two tries of the match.
It was a great experience, it was a real good bond we had in the camp, Rowe said.
All the boys are really close, we were a bit unlucky with what happened at the end, we had a good lead but just couldnt finish the job.
A trip to the Gold Coast during his holiday period was not all relaxation for Rowe, who continued training while spending time with family.
I spent my break up there (Gold Coast) visiting Mum and Dad, Rowe said.
It was great to catch up with them, but I had to stay fit so I was still doing a bit of training.
With a host of new recruits coming on board and other exiting changes around the Club, Rowe said it was easy to notice a difference.
Meeting all the new recruits and the new culture around the place is really exciting for me.
The New Zealand-born fullback has begun pre-season training with the full-time squad and is pushing to achieve his ultimate goal in 2014 an NRL debut.
With Wests Tigers Rookie of the Year James Tedesco and Tim Moltzen also featuring in the 33-man squad next season, Coach Mick Potter has plenty of options for the number one jersey.
The competition at fullback is really tough with Teddy (Tedesco) having a good year, but Id be happy to play anywhere on the park, Rowe said.
We are all fighting for spots and its about performing and staying consistent.
During his stellar 2013 season, Rowe played primarily fullback but also spent time on the wing as he racked up 26 tries from 26 games.
At just 82 kilograms, Rowe is hoping that a tough pre-season will increase his size as he makes the transition into senior football.
My ultimate goal next year is obviously try to make my NRL debut but also to get a bit more size on me, Rowe said.
It has been good to get back into training and a have that routine again.
Following the Wests Tigers NYC semi-final loss to Canberra, Rowe received the honour of playing representative football, as he pulled on the Junior Kiwis jersey for the first time.
Despite the Junior Kangaroos eventually running out 38-26 winners, Rowe turned in another solid performance, crossing for the first two tries of the match.
It was a great experience, it was a real good bond we had in the camp, Rowe said.
All the boys are really close, we were a bit unlucky with what happened at the end, we had a good lead but just couldnt finish the job.
A trip to the Gold Coast during his holiday period was not all relaxation for Rowe, who continued training while spending time with family.
I spent my break up there (Gold Coast) visiting Mum and Dad, Rowe said.
It was great to catch up with them, but I had to stay fit so I was still doing a bit of training.
With a host of new recruits coming on board and other exiting changes around the Club, Rowe said it was easy to notice a difference.
Meeting all the new recruits and the new culture around the place is really exciting for me.
