'Won't give up my jersey': Gamble to battle with new Cog in halves machine

Greeted by premiership-winning Panther Jack Cogger in the pre-season, Tyson Gamble has once again found himself fighting it out for a spot in Round 1, but the Brisbane battler says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

After stringing together 24 first-grade games, six tries and eight assists to help the Knights to a 10-game winning streak and a home final victory last year, Gamble has found a new confidence in his playmaking ability heading into the 2024 season.

But every new year brings new challenges and while the former Bronco has found himself once again locked in a tooth and nail struggle, he knows new competition will help take his game to another level.

“Last year was the most NRL games I’ve played in a season and it definitely leaves a good taste in your mouth but also leaves me wanting more too,” Gamble told NRL.com.

“But I can’t just rest on the year I had, I need to take it to another level and that’s what I’m planning to do.

“Cogs (Cogger) has obviously just won a premiership and is coming off a really good year and some of the things he did in that grand final off the ball were crazy.

“He’s not coming here to play ressies and at the end of the day I don’t want to give up my jersey, I’m sure Jacko (Hastings) doesn’t want to give up his and Cogs wants one of them so it’s a good battle.”

Having never been selected for a Round 1 match, Gamble has had to get used to playing second fiddle over the years and wait for injuries and representative duties for a start on the main stage.

And while pundits will be eagerly waiting to see who will be given first crack at continuing Newcastle’s premiership push in 2024, it’s business as usual for Gamble, busting his gut and proving a point at pre-season.

“My whole career I’ve had to fight for a jersey, even last year, Kalyn was in the halves, so I was battling against him to get a spot in the six or the seven,” Gamble said.

“I’ve never been given a jersey, I’ve never started a Round 1 game, I’ve always had to wait for an opportunity throughout the season to get a crack.

“So it’s not any different for me this year, if anything it’s given me a bit more of a chip on the shoulder to make sure I’m training and working that extra bit harder to make sure I keep that jersey.”

With coach Adam O’Brien yet to reveal the likely halves combination for Round 1, the NRL Pre-Season Challenge could come as an important opportunity for Gamble to earn first crack at the No. 6 in 2024.

With his grittiness and physicality being a point of difference for the Knights in 2023, Gamble knows his style of play comes from years of pushing to be a first-choice five-eighth and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We haven’t really settled who's going to be in the halves yet. We’ve all been getting equal opportunity to train there but it'll up to the coaches,” he said.

“It’ll be a tough decision too because I think all three of us have trained pretty well when we’ve had the opportunities there and bring different strengths to the position.

“We’ve got three players going for two positions and healthy competition is good for the team, but it’s also going to be heartbreaking for one of us.

“But I don’t think I’d change it for anything at the moment, I think I’d get a little complacent if I knew I was going to start."