For the majority of his NRL career, Panthers hooker Mitch Kenny started games from the bench as he learned his craft from former Penrith teammate Api Koroisau, who was regarded as the No.1 rake at the club.
Fast-forward to the 2023 season with Kenny suddenly finding himself the starting hooker at the Panthers following Koroisau’s high-profile move to the Wests Tigers.
It’s been an interesting journey to an NRL starting spot for the 25-year-old, who made his debut for the Panthers in 2019 as a member of the part-time squad while also cutting grass as the club’s groundsman.
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Kenny, who took time to adjust to his starting role and get used to new combinations in the Panthers side, admitted he “didn’t start the year too great”.
However, he is now thriving in the role, with the Panthers set to face off against the Storm in a preliminary final with a spot in the grand final on the line.
“There has been a few ups and downs,” Kenny explained to 7NEWS about his season.
“I was part of the team for most weeks last year, which was pretty special, and got to win a comp which I will remember forever.
“This year has been a different story for me, more minutes and more importance with what I’m doing, if I don’t play well it’s a lot more noticeable.
“There has been a lot of learnings, but I’ve loved it.”
Kenny said he was always confident that he could step up into Origin No.9 Koroisau’s boots and perform well, despite criticism early in the season about his form.
“It was cool. Obviously there was a bit of noise about it naturally, losing ‘Kick’s’ (Viliame Kikau to the Bulldogs) and losing Api, two of our best players and two of the best players in the comp.
“There were question marks on whether we could keep rolling, we didn’t start the year too great, and I didn’t start the year too great and there was noise around that.
“I was always confident that with time we would figure things out, which is what’s happened.
“Api’s a close mate and he has been absolutely electric over there at the Tigers, but I’ve been enjoying it here.”
Kenny is preparing to take on one of the “elite” hookers in the NRL as he comes up against the Storm’s Harry Grant during the preliminary final showdown on Friday night.
However, Kenny said he has learnt from Grant and is confident that if the Panthers stop him in attack, it will help them win the game.
“You learn things from all the other hookers in the game, especially the elite ones like Harry,” Kenny said.
“He has been one of — if not the best — hookers for the last few years.
“He is an enormous part of their team, and it takes a whole team approach to limit the impact he is going to have on the game.
“He is one of the few guys like that in their side, and we will try to do a job and shut him down as best as we can.
“You can never stop him completely, but if you try and limit him, it will hopefully go a long way to winning the game.”
With the Panthers on the verge of a historic NRL premiership three-peat, Kenny isn’t getting too far ahead of himself and is expecting a tough game against the Storm.
“I’m expecting Melbourne to be at their best, they come alive at this time of year,” Kenny said.
“They are a club that know how to win, and it’s in their DNA.
“They have been part of the finals for as long as I can remember.
“You can’t really take their form this season, which isn’t probably the footy they would have liked to play for long periods of time.
“Don’t take too much (of that) into account, they’re going to come out and give us their best on Friday.”
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