Who is Will Pryce? English NRL rookie impresses on Newcastle Knights debut
Will Pryce has made a strong first impression in the NRL after making his debut for the Newcastle Knights during their thrilling 34-26 win over Parramatta.
Pryce made the move to the Hunter in the off-season after opting to leave Huddersfield in the Super League in order to test himself in Australia.
Yet the playmaker has struggled to force his way into Adam O’Brien’s plans with the coach preferring to field Jack Cogger, Tyson Gamble and Jackson Hastings in the halves ahead of him.
However, Pryce’s time finally came in Round 17 when the Englishman was named alongside Hastings for the vital clash.
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Who is Will Pryce? English NRL rookie impresses on Newcastle Knights debut
Pryce first broke onto the scene for the Giants towards the end of their rotten 2021 campaign where he proved to be a rare shining light.
Although his stay in the Super League was ultimately short-lived as he decided to make the move to the NRL with the Knights on a two-year deal.
In electing to link up with Newcastle, Pryce became the second former Huddersfield player to do so after Dominic Young.
Despite featuring in 17 games during his final year at the Giants before his exit, Pryce has struggled to establish himself so far while Down Under.
Instead, he has had to bide his time in the NSW Cup, where he has registered five tries and seven assists during his 13 appearances to date.
Pryce has played predominantly at five-eighth while in reserve grade, with just three matches at fullback mixed in during the middle of the season.
Andrew Johns voiced his support for Pryce to be parachuted into the side following a disappointing spell for Cogger and Hastings in the halves.
However, O’Brien clapped back that Pryce was lacking the consistency needed in his game to force his hand at that time.
"I think Will’s still learning the game out here to be honest," the coach said.
"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."
Although after three successive losses, Cogger was dropped with Pryce handed his NRL debut.
And the No.6 introduced himself to the fans in the best way possible when he crashed over for a four-pointer in the first half after reeling in a Daniel Saifiti offload.
He finished with one four-pointer, three tackle busts, 21 tackles and 68 run metres in the absorbing contest.
Who is Will Pryce’s dad?
The 21-year-old comes from a great pedigree with his dad, Leon, a legendary former rugby league player.
The Bradford native lifted 19 major trophies during an illustrious career which included lengthy spells with the Bulls and St Helens.
The former England and Great Britian star claimed four Super League titles before retiring in 2017.
Leon was on hand to watch his son score a try on debut after catching a flight over to Newcastle for the occasion.
"Hard work pays off, 100 per cent and sometimes the joy is in the struggle and the hard work," he told Love Rugby League ahead of his son’s NRL bow.
"This is a different competition to Super League - it is a cut-throat business.
"Halfback is a position that is very, very difficult in the NRL. For me, he has already won because he has had a go at something that is very difficult."