Manly recruit Danny Levi is ready to put his disappointing exit from Newcastle behind him but admits he's eager for their round five stoush in April to "get one over" his former club.
New Knights coach Adam O'Brien found himself in an awkward position last November when he had the unwanted Levi on the books despite former coach Nathan Brown luring Jayden Brailey as the club's first-choice hooker for 2020.
While the 24-year-old was full of praise for O'Brien's handling of the situation over the off-season, he won't have to wait long to face his former teammates at Lottoland.
"I'm definitely keen to get one over them," Levi told NRL.com at the Sea Eagles' training base in Narrabeen.
"I have checked and pencilled it in, the missus has a lot of friends up there too. It was tough to leave and I didn't think it was the best way to go.
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"Just with how it was all going down they were always buying a person in my position. It painted a picture that my future was elsewhere but I was still contracted.
"Adam was respectful, we had a talk about it and he said as long as I'm there he'll still look after me and get me in great shape.
"We both understood where we were at and I didn't want to make the team feel awkward or Jayden feel bad. We all got along really well in the circumstances.
"I just wanted to keep training well because I wanted to be ready to go and at my peak for another club."
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The former Kiwi international is quick to dismiss any suggestions he had a bad attitude while at the Knights.
He suggested it was a rumour leaked to the media to paint him in a bad light.
"I honestly didn't understand it," Levi said.
"I was one of the loudest there and maybe that shined a bit of a bad light. But you can ask any of the trainers and they'll say I was one of the best there.
"I think it was blown out of proportion. I'm excited to show people at the Sea Eagles who I really am."
Levi couldn't have picked a better club to prove doubters wrong.
The Sea Eagles were written off as finals contenders in 2019 but proved one of the surprise packets of the year in Des Hasler's first season back in charge.
With Manase Fainu sidelined with a shoulder injury and stood down by the NRL, Levi's opportunity to lead what he describes as one of the best forward packs in the competition is set to re-ignite his career.
"I think you have to have a lot of belief in yourself without being cocky and I feel I've got that," Levi said.
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"I believe I'm an NRL player and am good enough to play there. I've got to make sure I always go out and prove it now."
Levi is also eager to increase his minutes under Hasler.
He averaged a career-high 64 minutes in 2017 at the Knights when they went through a three-year period of finishing last.
"I definitely feel like I can do it, I've always said I want to be an 80-minute player but sometimes they thought giving me a spell was the best thing too," Levi said.
"But I've always thought the best way to be that is to do it consistently."