Rising star Will Pryce has earned his opportunity in the highly competitive NRL, as the 21-year-old prepares for his debut with the Newcastle Knights this weekend against Parramatta.
His proud father, rugby league legend Leon Pryce, has paid an emotional tribute to his son ahead of Saturday’s game. Knights boss Adam O’Brien has given Pryce his first start with just ten games left in his debut NRL season, and he will be partnering former Super League star Jackson Hastings in the halves.
Leon Pryce, a former St Helens and Bradford great, is traveling to McDonald Jones Stadium for the game. Speaking exclusively to Love Rugby League, he praised his son’s bravery and dedication.
“Hard work pays off, 100 per cent and sometimes the joy is in the struggle and the hard work,” Leon told Love Rugby League. “This is a different competition to Super League, it is a cut-throat business out there. Half-back is a position that is very, very difficult in the NRL. For me he has already won because he has had a go at something that is very difficult.”
Leon acknowledged the challenges his son has faced, including doubters and those who tried to pull him down. However, he sees Will’s effort to succeed in such a tough environment as a victory in itself.
Will Pryce’s impressive record of 17 tries in 45 appearances for the Huddersfield Giants earned him England Knights honors as a teenager and put him on the brink of a senior England call-up when the NRL came calling. Unlike his international teammate Kai Pearce-Paul, who made an immediate impact in Australia, Pryce has had to be more patient. This experience has helped him mature quickly, both as a player and as a person, according to his father.
“Being on the other side of the world without his family, playing in the reserves, and learning his trade, working things out on his own – that is not an easy position but one that is good for someone to grow up really quickly,” Leon said. “To be thrown in the deep end on the other side of the world on your own as a man is difficult. But that is when you grow. He’s happy, he’s been waiting a while to be given an opportunity. He has worked hard to get into this position and been patient. It has not been easy, which has been a good thing for him.”
Leon hopes his son believes in himself and seizes this opportunity, knowing that the family will support him no matter what happens. Newcastle fans are also excited to see Pryce in the number 6 shirt.
“As a dad, I am proud of him to take on this challenge and go for something in the most difficult, toughest, hardest competition in the world with such a big pool of unbelievable players at a young age,” Leon added. “I’m really proud that he has taken on this challenge head on and had a go at it. He could have stayed in Super League and tried it out over here but he has gone for the hardest task out there which is the NRL at a young age. Whatever happens, his family is so proud of him and that is the main thing.
“He will put all his hard work into that shirt now. We will always be there to support him, always have been and always will be.”