JUST IN: English NRL rookie impresses on Newcastle Knights debut.

After making his NRL debut for the Newcastle Knights during their exciting 34-26 victory over Parramatta, Will Pryce has left a lasting impression.

Pryce chose to test himself in Australia by leaving Huddersfield in the Super League, and he moved to the Hunter during the off-season.

However, the playmaker has found it difficult to break through into Adam O’Brien’s plans, as the coach would rather start Jackson Hastings, Tyson Gamble, and Jack Cogger in the halves ahead of him.

But Pryce’s moment finally arrived in Round 17, when the Englishman was selected for the pivotal matchup with Hastings.

Towards the close of the Giants’ disastrous 2021 season, Pryce made his debut and quickly established himself as a rare bright spot.

Though he ultimately chose to move to the NRL with the Knights on a two-year contract, his time in the Super League was brief.

Pryce made history by choosing to join Newcastle, the second former Huddersfield player to do so after Dominic Young.

Even though Pryce played in 17 games in his last season with the Giants before to his departure, he has not been able to establish himself in Australia thus far.

Rather, he was forced to wait it out in the NSW Cup, where in his 13 games thus far, he has recorded five tries and seven assists.

Pryce has spent the majority of his reserve grade career playing at five-eighth, with just three appearances at fullback interspersed throughout the season.

After a poor phase for Cogger and Hastings in the halves, Andrew Johns expressed his support for Pryce to be parachuted into the side.

O’Brien clapped back, stating that Pryce was not playing with the consistency necessary to force his hand at that particular moment.

“I think Will’s still learning the game out here to be honest,” the instructor stated.

“I don’t know how many games Joey has watched of NSW Cup, but he (Pryce) hasn’t had many back-to-back good ones.”

However, Pryce was given his NRL debut and Cogger was dropped following three straight losses.

And the No. 6 gave the crowd a memorable introduction when, following an offload from Daniel Saifiti, he bounded over for a four-pointer in the first half.

In the thrilling game, he finished with one four-pointer, three tackle busts, 21 tackles, and 68 run meters.

The 21-year-old has a fantastic family history thanks to his father Leon, a renowned former rugby league player.

The Bradford native had a distinguished career that spanned extended stints with the Bulls and St Helens, during which he won 19 major trophies.

Before retirement in 2017, the former England and Great Britain player had won four Super League championships.

Leon took a journey to Newcastle specifically for the occasion and was there to witness his son score a try on his debut.

Prior to his son’s NRL debut, he told Love Rugby League, “The struggle and the hard work can sometimes bring about joy.” “Hard work pays off, 100% of the time.”

“This rivalry differs from Super League in that it is a cutthroat industry.

In the NRL, halfback is one of the most demanding positions. He has already succeeded in my opinion since he attempted something really challenging.”