Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Dom Young can still remember standing around at full-time, looking into the empty stands and wondering what he was doing playing NSW Cup.
The Roosters had dropped five of their first seven NRL games last year, and Young had been one of the selection casualties as Trent Robinson sought to turn things around.
The towering Englishman knew he did not belong in reserve grade.
“It’s not what I wanted to do; it didn’t feel right,” Young said.
Newcastle also knew their former favourite was too good not to be in the NRL, and set about luring the winger back to the Hunter.
Robinson made it known he was unimpressed at how the negotiations played out. His anger had nothing to do with Young, who had played in a preliminary final for the Roosters in 2024, and more the Knights, who were initially happy to pay full freight before shifting their stance and leaning on the Tricolours to chip in a portion of Young’s salary.
“Annoying” was the word Robinson used at the time.
Roosters fans never saw the best of Young – certainly not the version of him who has scored 21 tries for the Knights this season and will start against the Warriors in a sudden-death semi-final on Sunday in Auckland.
English backpackers love calling Bondi home. Their league players, however, have not had as much fun in the beachside suburb, with Young’s shortened stay coming on the back of the handful of games played by Ryan Hall (2019-20), and Joe Burgess (2016) before him.
Was the Eastern Suburbs too hectic for a kid who grew up in Wakefield, in the north of England? Was the playing group too insular? (It was not lost on some at the club that former Rooster Brandon Smith last week spoke about South Sydney not having “cliques”).
“I just think I feel really comfortable here [at Newcastle],” Young told this masthead. “The way the community is involved in the team, it really makes me want to play for them.
“We have a good group here, and they know how to get the best out of me. The style of play Justin [Holbrook] has brought in, the way we move the football, it benefits my strengths. Most importantly, it was about getting back to really enjoying my footy.
“Even though it might not have worked out how I wanted to at the Roosters, I always found the tryline, which is what I’m known for.
“I don’t really look at it badly or with any regrets. I learned a lot, being in that environment. When you surround yourself with a lot of the players the Roosters had – there were a lot of top-class players who have been around the game a while – you can definitely learn from them.
“Being in a winning environment and a club with big aspirations, you learn what you need to do to be the best. There were definitely lessons I took away.”
Young, who based himself in Maroubra – which was “not as crazy as Bondi” – said the chance to play regular NRL made it easy for him to leave the Roosters.
“‘Robbo’ didn’t want me to go in the first place,” Young said. “A few things happened that led me to that [exit], he caught wind of what was going on and wanted to bring me back [into first grade].
“I just wanted to get back to playing [NRL] footy, so it seemed to make sense. It all happened quickly. It wasn’t going to work with me not playing regularly.
“I saw an opportunity to get back to playing my best footy, and I think it paid off.
“I never lost that confidence. Even at the Roosters, in that second year when we weren’t winning – whenever you are losing games, questions are asked about everyone at the time – but I never doubted myself.
“I know what I can bring to a team, what my strengths are, and how to unlock those strengths.
“I’ve played in some big games in my career, played against some of the best players in the world, and feel like I’ve always held my own, consistently, so I didn’t question anything.”
“I just wanted to get back to playing [NRL] footy, so it seemed to make sense.”
Knights winger Dominic Young
Young’s speed and height make him a potent threat on the right wing, while his contentment at being back in the Hunter has rubbed off on his teammates.
“Everyone can see how much he loves the place, and the coach allows him to be himself,” said Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga. “We know his strengths, the team loves him, the community loves him. We don’t put too much pressure on him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
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