When news came through last week that Tom Jenkins would be playing fullback for Penrith in their grand final rematch with Melbourne, the reaction from outside the Panthers was literal disbelief.
Surely, the scuttlebutt went, it was a smokescreen and coach Ivan Cleary would switch high-profile recruit Blaize Talagi to the back.
Jenkins, usually a winger or centre with limited first-grade experience who had just returned to Penrith after a year with Newcastle, could only be a decoy amid a horde of injuries to Penrith’s fullbacks Dylan Edwards and Daine Laurie.
It’s true that the 24-year-old Jenkins was light on experience as a custodian — apart from a few minutes there filling in for the club’s NSW Cup side the week before, when the starter underwent an HIA, he hadn’t played there in years.
And, on the surface, he was an unlikely person for the Panthers to turn to in such a difficult time given he struggled to crack the Knights’ back line last season and began the summer training with St Mary’s in the Ron Massey Cup, the tier below reserve grade.
But once the whistle blew in Melbourne, it was indeed Jenkins at fullback and the first game of his second life with Penrith turned out to be the best of his young career.
The undermanned Panthers went down 30-24 but Jenkins was a shining light, playing a role in four tries against one of the few teams who could be in the mix to end Penrith’s run of premierships.
He’s retained his spot in first grade this week and will line up in the far more familiar role of centre on Thursday night against South Sydney — Laurie has been named to return from a quad injury but should he withdraw, Jenkins could play fullback again.
If so, the 24-year-old will jump at the chance. After the journey he’s been on back to the club he calls home, there’s nothing he won’t do for them.
“Coming into Dyl’s shoes is a hard one, he’s the Australian fullback. But it’s another role, another job, if I have to do it again or another role through the year, you never know — Nathan [Cleary] is out this week, so maybe halfback!” Jenkins said.
“But I’m just keen, if Ivan puts me in there, it’s because he believes in me.”
When it comes to Penrith, Jenkins has always fought hard to make the most of every opportunity.
That’s how the Young Cherrypickers junior ended up with the Panthers in the first place. At 18, after failing to pick up a contract with Canberra, he played for a Group 9 rep side against a Panthers development squad and did well enough to land a deal with the club.
Jenkins left Penrith in search of consistent NRL football. (Getty Images: Ian Hitchcock)
He rose through the ranks, playing a handful of NRL matches in 2022-23 before signing a two-year deal with Newcastle in search of a regular first-grade spot.
“Penrith feels like home and they gave me my first opportunity. But I probably needed to leave, to go away and chase an opportunity, for my own development and my own career,” Jenkins said.
“I don’t regret it, I think it’s exactly what I needed — to go away and experience different things, a different club.
“I knew it was probably coming. They had Bizza [Brian To’o], Taylan [May], Tito [Sunia Turuva], a lot of boys who were successful, so my path to NRL was blocked.
“Ivan [Cleary] is always open, no matter how hard the conversation is, he’ll always have it with you directly, no matter what.
“He’ll tell you exactly what you need to know, whether you like it or not. I didn’t want to leave, and he knew I didn’t want to leave, but he knew I had to leave to chase an opportunity.”
Jenkins only played a handful of games in an unhappy year with Newcastle. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)
But the move to the Hunter didn’t agree with Jenkins. He played five NRL matches, all at the beginning of the season, but couldn’t find his best football.
At the end of the season, he and the Knights came to an agreement that he would leave a year early.
“I wasn’t present when I was in Newcastle. I was promised things but I didn’t live up to the expectations. That was on me, getting ahead of myself.
“It’s a good bunch of boys up there. There wasn’t any bad blood in the exit. It was purely based on what I needed as a person, to come back here and be around family and enjoy my footy.
“I didn’t feel like myself, I always felt drawn back to here, I wanted to be around Sydney.”
So Jenkins came back to Penrith — first the area, then the club, because both of them are home to him.
He signed with St Mary’s Saints and had a few training sessions before Panthers reserve grade coach Ben Harden gave him a call. Would Jenkins be interested in training with the club’s afternoon squad over the summer?
They didn’t need to ask twice. Alongside part-timers, triallists and other players desperate for a chance at joining the great Penrith winning machine, Jenkins slogged it out in the heat, with no guarantees and no promises.
In the meantime, he linked up with Our Choice, a disability service owned by a mate of his, as a support worker — which gave him a new outlook on life and football.
“That’s something I’m really passionate about, I love that, I still work there on my days off and when I leave footy it’s definitely something I’ll go do,” said Jenkins.
“I’d take kids out, community access, teach them independent life skills — it puts some perspective on life.
“[With footy] I just tried to work my way back, there wasn’t a promise.
“I do love how Penrith roll and how they do their thing. Coming back, that’s something I slotted straight into. Their standards are very high and they don’t budge.”
Jenkins fought to live up to those standards and took the chances when they came. With Penrith’s top squad in Las Vegas for the season opener, he played in their final trial against Manly and scored a try.
Then he landed a coveted full-time deal. His goal for the year was to make it back to NSW Cup and he managed it by the season opener. After two strong games, coach Cleary didn’t hesitate to turn to the prodigal Panther in a time of need.
Taking on the Storm at AAMI Park is a place where some of the best fullbacks in the league have lost themselves but Jenkins trusted himself to do the job, even if he’d never done it before at the top level.
“I wouldn’t be there if [Ivan[ didn’t have confidence in me and that’s what Ivan does, he gives you confidence,” Jenkins said.
Cleary has shown that confidence in Jenkins again by naming him in the centres over 18-year-old phenom Casey McLean for Thursday night’s clash with South Sydney.
The match shapes as a big one for the Panthers — they haven’t dropped three games in a row since the end of 2019, well before their historic run began. Losing is not something they’re familiar with anymore.
That’s part of what drew Jenkins back here and why he’s so grateful to be a part of it all again. All he wants is more first grade, wherever he’s needed.
If you can make it at Penrith, you can probably make it anywhere — but if you make it at Penrith, why would you want to make it anywhere else?
“It didn’t have to be Penrith, I wanted it to be Penrith. I know how they roll, I know how they do things, all my mates are here,” Jenkins said.
“When I made the decision to leave [Newcastle], I didn’t know what was next, but I knew Penrith was a hard system to crack and a hard squad to get into.
“It’s exactly what I needed, a kick up the bum to show how good I have it and how lucky I really am. I’m really lucky, because I got to come back here.”
