GROWING up in the tough suburb of Kingswood in Sydney’s west, Sea Eagles interchange backrower Jesse Sene-Lefao never dreamt of one day calling Elanora Heights home.
The 24-year-old arrived at Na
rrabeen last year and promptly made his first grade debut against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in round one.
He wasn’t used again by Geoff Toovey in the top grade, but watched on intently as his teammates marched to the grand final.
The father of two spent the off-season pondering what he had to do to ensure he was the top 17 each week in 2014.
“To be honest, the answer was hard work,” he said.
“Playing with blokes like Choc (Anthony Watmough) and Gift (Glenn Stewart) has been great, they give me little pointers here and there.”
Sene-Lefao showed he belongs in the NRL with a dominant display off the pine in last Friday’s controversial 26-21 victory against the Cowboys at Central Coast Stadium.
The Panthers junior, whose inclusion by the coaching staff saw Jason King named 18th man, carted the ball up seven times and made 18 tackles.
He intends on staying a Sea Eagle as long as the club want him.
“My kids are loving life on the beaches, my daughter is getting into ballet and just finished her first season of nippers,’’ Sene-Lefao said. “It is a good place to raise a family. Hopefully I can keep performing and stay for a few more seasons.”
Meanwhile, classy pivot Kieran Foran is expected to be sidelined for at least a month due to a knee injury.
He will also miss the New Zealand v Australia Test match on May 2 at Allianz Stadium.
Club teammate Anthony Watmough is in doubt for the Test after aggravating a pre-existing elbow injury against North Queensland.
He headed for treatment shortly before half-time and was unable to return after the break.
It would be a cruel blow for the second-rower, who missed the Kangaroos’ triumphant World Cup campaign with a knee complaint.
Andrew Prentice
Manly Daily
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