Tom Jenkins is closing in on Rhys Wesser’s club record for the most tries in a season at the Panthers, but the red-hot winger concedes things got “hairy” as he chased a new deal with Penrith before he eventually got one done.
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Jenkins, 25, officially agreed to a three-year extension last week and says he was strongly considering offers from rival clubs due to a potential salary cap squeeze at Penrith.
It would have been cruel to see him go for a second time given he moved to the Knights in 2024 only for him to return to the golden west after an unsuccessful stint in Newcastle.
“I’ve always said my preference was to stay,” he said.
“I think for a few weeks there things were getting a bit hairy and I wasn’t too sure what it was going to look like. But I had faith in my manager and I had faith in the club that we’d be able to get a deal done.
“In saying that, there were a few weeks where I wasn’t too sure where I’d end up, so I’m glad to get it done.
“There were definitely a few (clubs) that I was heavily considering, especially when the talks were breaking down here.
“I won’t name them, just out of respect for them, but obviously I have a lot of appreciation and they were really good in the whole process of it. They knew that my preference was to stay here, but they made it hard.”
The ladder-leading Panthers can’t keep all their players and have felt the pressures of the salary cap in the past.
Scott Sorensen and Liam Henry have already signed with the Bears for next year, while Freddy Lussick has been strongly linked with the Bulldogs as the club prepares to stave off poaching raids for guys like Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin who are off contract at the end of 2027.
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“You can tell there’s a bit of a salary cap squeeze here,” Jenkins said.
“As much as money’s not a massive deal breaker, there does come a time where you’ve got to understand value and what you probably deserve.
“But there’s also a price to pay when you’re staying at good clubs like Penrith, so it was just finding that happy medium that suited me and also suited the club. Hopefully, it puts us in good stead for the next three years.”
With his future sorted, Jenkins can turn his attention to several looming records if he maintains his hot start to the year.
The left winger has scored 20 tries from 13 matches this season, including eight doubles and one four-try haul, with Jenkins already passing his career tally of 18 tries from his previous four seasons combined.
Rhys Wesser holds the club record for 25 tries in a season, while Amos Roberts was the last Panther to finish the year as the NRL’s top try scorer.
Jenkins is on the verge of breaking several records. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Jenkins is in awe of the all-time record holder Alex Johnston, who is just one try behind him this season, while Dave Brown’s single season record of 38 back in 1935 is also a chance of being broken if he continues to find the line with ease.
“Speak to me in maybe six or seven rounds and if I’m close (then I might start to care), but if I’m not, I’m not,” he said, with the finals set to help his cause as he chases down records.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I couldn’t really care if I was scoring zero tries or if I was scoring five tries, as long as it’s us scoring tries and not the other team.”
STORM GUN KATOA OPENS UP ON PLAYING FUTURE
Eli Katoa admits there’s still a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his NRL career, with the next few months set to be key.
Katoa, who suffered a life threatening brain bleed during a Pacific Championships game for Tonga last year, will be sidelined for the entire 2026 season at the very least.
The star backrower has been a constant presence at Storm training as he continues his “ long road” to recovery.
Appearing on Channel 7 show The Agenda Setters on Monday, Katoa says he’s content with his recovery but still faces a few nervous moments over the coming weeks with doctors ultimately to make the final call on whether he plays again.
“It’s going to be tough,’’ Katoa said.
“I’ve been going well with my recovery. There’s still a long head to go, but like I said, my goal is to do whatever I can do to come back and play the game again.
“There’s a lot of support around me, obviously with Melbourne and the medical staff and obviously the boys and the coaching staff as well, which has been so good for me and I’m really grateful about that.
“There’s a lot of things going into it. If you talk about yes or no answers here, I’m thinking about my family as well. But for what I’m doing now, it’s just controlling of what I can do, whether it’s getting flogged at training or helping out the boys.
“I know if I just do my bit, the thing that I can control, and hopefully that can go a long way, but in terms of that, we don’t know the answers yet, so let’s just hope for the best.’’
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Katoa suffered three brutal head knocks before and during Tonga’s clash with New Zealand last November, which attributed to a scary sideline seizure.
Katoa was rushed to hospital and underwent brain surgery, with the 26-year-old ruled out for the 2026 season soon after.
The sickening pre-game head knock Katoa copped wasn’t reported to coaches. As a result, two-year bans have been proposed for three Tonga staff members, including the team’s head doctor and trainer.
However, Katoa isn’t interested in placing blame on anyone for his ordeal.
“Obviously my goal is just to come back and play and there’s no point for me to look back and try to see what should have happened and what we could have done better,” he said.
“It’s already happened and lucky enough I’m still alive.”