After securing a four-try haul in his “dream come true” international debut, Kiwi winger Casey McLean has turned his attention to locking down a spot in Penrith’s starting line-up next season.
A late replacement for Will Warbrick in the side to face the Kumuls, McLean’s four-try haul was made even more remarkable by the fact he played only seven NRL games for the Panthers in 2024.
“It was a dream come true, playing with the likes of Shaun Johnson, Pita Hiku and Taps [Joseph Tapine], it was a dream come true,” McLean told pan66.com.
“(Scoring the tries) was unreal! Full credit to my halves and everyone around me, they were able to put me in that position in the first place and it's just my job as the player there to ice it …
From the field: Casey McLean
“I found out the day before captain’s run that I was playing; Warbrick was fighting a little injury and Stace (coach Stacey Jones) had hopes he'd come back, but obviously, I was always ready.
“I got that little call up saying ‘you'll be playing’ and then straight away, the excitement filtered through me; the little child came out again.
“Not in a million years did I think this could happen, especially this year, being 18-years-old, I didn't believe that this was even in my eyesight.
“At the start of the year, I was just thinking to get a fulltime gig at Penrith, put my best foot forward in pre-season and keep building every week, I didn't really think of the big picture.
Shaun Johnson had quite the final game
“I was just trying to take every week by week, and then the opportunity came and took it with both hands.”
As well as helping New Zealand retain their spot in the Pacific Cup, McLean relished the opportunity to learn from one Kiwi legend in coach Jones and play in the last game of another, with Johnson setting him up to feature in a historic highlights reel alongside Brian Jellick, who also scored four tries in his Kiwis debut in 1999.
“It was surreal, I idolised Johnson when I was young, watching him; he's mean, he's the man," McLean said.
“Being at the end of one of his try assists and him setting me up is like one of my childhood dreams come true.”
Kini stars in Kiwis win
Playing mostly at centre this year, McLean – who was raised in Australia, but whose family hails from Taupo and Auckland – said that after his unexpected international debut, his next step was to make sure he was playing consistent NRL next season and would work towards earning a spot in Penrith’s backline.
“When it comes back to pre-season, I know I have got to take full responsibility on myself because obviously that Sunia Turuva spot has opened and it's not going to be given to any of us at that Penrith system,” McLean said.
“I need to get my head back down, to work hard and just keep working through that pre-season and hopefully get that spot.”
