Ben McNamara has reflected on a dream professional debut for the Black & Whites in which he also touched down for his first try in the victory over Castleford Tigers last night.
The 18-year old half-back was a late call-up into the squad yesterday morning replacing Jamie Shaul, and followed in the footsteps of his father Steve McNamara in 1989 by scoring on his club debut.
The former Skirlaugh Bulls and Sydney Roosters youth player, who came through the scholarship and academy ranks with the Black & Whites, came onto the field mid-way through the first-half and earned the Jacuzzi® Elite Performance Man of the Match award.
Speaking after the game, McNamara said: “I only got the call up to play in the morning and I had no idea I was playing until then so I was absolutely buzzing to get called up, and to get the win too.
“Full credit to my team-mates as they really helped me through it, especially Carlos and Andre either side of me.
“That help that they gave me really took the pressure off my shoulders a little bit so I felt comfortable out there. Sneydy took control of the game which allowed me to concreate on my own performance, but I know the roll of a half-back is to come into the side and boss people about a little bit so I knew I had to be confident and give it my best.
Describing the step-up in intensity, he added: “It was a really tough match and at a lot higher level than I’ve ever played before. When I saw the team, I noted to myself that they had a big pack and that they’d try to steamroll us down the middle, but we showed a lot of grit to stop them.
He continued: “I wasn’t expecting to get on that early to be honest – I was expecting it to be mid-way through the second-half, so I ended up on the field a lot longer than I thought I would.
On his try, he said: “To be honest, I wasn’t that happy with the pass I threw to Jake, it was a bit of the mark but as soon as I saw him go through, I knew I had to push in support and luckily he passed it back to me. I don’t score many tries so I was absolutely buzzing.”
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