It did nothing, however, to deter Darren Nicholls from shifting to Wollongong, on a two-year deal no less.

The 28-year-old will make his ISP debut for the club on Saturday, fresh off steering a Garth Brennan-coached Penrith outfit to a state cup double-crown last season.

The Holy Cross Rhinos product knew he’d be behind Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop in a stacked pecking order, but insists he remains ready for that elusive NRL debut however the opportunity arises.

“The club liked what I do and I really like the direction the club is going in,” Nicholls said.

“Obviously Gaz and Hunty are two great halves but I’m just going to do my job in ISP for my side and see where we go from there.

“You don’t know when it’s going to happen, or if it’s going to happen, so you just need to stay positive and play the best footy you can whatever grade you’re playing in.

“That’s what I’ll be doing. If the [NRL] opportunity comes I’d love to do it but if they’re still in [first grade] it’s what’s best for the team so we’ll just see how the year plays out.”

Nicholls has had stints in fulltime squads fro Wests Tigers, South Sydney and Brisbane. While he’s yet to debut at NRL level, he’s confident team success in the ISP is the best chance for any player to make the leap

“Sometimes it does get frustrating but I’m just a bloke who loves my footy,” Nicholls said.

“Last year was good for me when we won the the ISP and, the way I look at it, if you’re going to playing in the ISP, you want to be playing your best and you want your team to be winning.

“That’s the message I give to the boys, especially the boys coming up from 20s. If you’re going to be in reserve grade you want to be winning.”

His time at the Broncos saw him train alongside Hunt meaning he jumped at the opportunity to link with him again this season.

“When I went to the Broncos halfway through 2014 Benny was there so we’ve been mates for a while now,” Nicholls said.

“He’s a great guy so it was good to link up with him. He came in a bit later after the World Cup but that familiar face makes the transition a bit easier.”

Saturday’s double-header at WIN Stadium will see both of the club’s lower grade sides play under the St George Illawarra banner for the first time since 2007. 

It follows the abolition of the NYC and the return to the state-based Jersey Flegg competition at under 20s level. Nicholls believes the restructure has brought out the best in the squad

“We’ve done great opposed sessions and everyone’s pushed each other for positions,” Nicholls said.

“It’s great we’re playing next week [against Cronulla] on the Thursday night before first grade and there’ll be a lot of other times we do that.

“I think that’s going to be good for the ISP competition and the club as a whole.”