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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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always said my preference was to stay,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think for a few weeks there things were getting a bit hairy and I wasn\u2019t 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\u2019d be able to get a deal done. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn saying that, there were a few weeks where I wasn\u2019t too sure where I\u2019d end up, so I\u2019m glad to get it done.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were definitely a few (clubs) that I was heavily considering, especially when the talks were breaking down here. <\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ladder-leading Panthers can\u2019t keep all their players and have felt the pressures of the salary cap in the past.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
McLean RULED OUT of Origin II | 02:54<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can tell there\u2019s a bit of a salary cap squeeze here,\u201d Jenkins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as money\u2019s not a massive deal breaker, there does come a time where you\u2019ve got to understand value and what you probably deserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s also a price to pay when you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
With his future sorted, Jenkins can turn his attention to several looming records if he maintains his hot start to the year.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s top try scorer.<\/p>\n
Jenkins is on the verge of breaking several records. Picture: Bradley Kanaris\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Jenkins is in awe of the all-time record holder Alex Johnston, who is just one try behind him this season, while Dave Brown\u2019s single season record of 38 back in 1935 is also a chance of being broken if he continues to find the line with ease. <\/p>\n
\u201cSpeak to me in maybe six or seven rounds and if I\u2019m close (then I might start to care), but if I\u2019m not, I\u2019m not,\u201d he said, with the finals set to help his cause as he chases down records. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it doesn\u2019t really matter. I couldn\u2019t really care if I was scoring zero tries or if I was scoring five tries, as long as it\u2019s us scoring tries and not the other team.\u201d<\/p>\n
STORM GUN KATOA OPENS UP ON PLAYING FUTURE<\/p>\n
Eli Katoa admits there\u2019s still a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his NRL career, with the next few months set to be key.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The star backrower has been a constant presence at Storm training as he continues his \u201c long road\u201d to recovery.<\/p>\n
Appearing on Channel 7 show The Agenda Setters on Monday, Katoa says he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be tough,\u2019\u2019 Katoa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been going well with my recovery. There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 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\u2019m really grateful about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things going into it. If you talk about yes or no answers here, I\u2019m thinking about my family as well. But for what I\u2019m doing now, it\u2019s just controlling of what I can do, whether it\u2019s getting flogged at training or helping out the boys.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019t know the answers yet, so let\u2019s just hope for the best.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Is ‘Kung-Fu Kalyn’ a ticking bomb | 03:14<\/p>\n
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