New Penrith halves duo Jamie Soward and Peter Wallace are adamant they have nothing to prove in the NRL despite leaving their previous teams under acrimonious circumstances.
Soward left St George Illawarra, the club he won the 2010 premiership with, mid-season last year while Wallace finished up with Brisbane after the worst year in the club’s history.
Both players form part of an impressive off-season recruiting effort from Panthers supremo Phil Gould that also includes Jamal Idris, Brent Kite, Tyrone Peachey and Elijah Taylor and offers promise of an exciting dawn at the club.
The new look Penrith halves duo fronted the media together on Monday at Panthers training and Soward insisted he and Wallace have left the past behind.
“Me and the bloke next to me have nothing to prove because of the way we finished our time at other clubs,” Soward said.
“I think I speak for Wal when I say we are not going to speak about the Dragons and the Broncos all year.
“We are here to talk about the Panthers. We both have good contracts here and we are both experienced enough to handle (the pressure that comes with) that.
“We have recruited really well but come round one it won’t mean much if we don’t put it together on the field.
“It’s an exciting time for Penrith and an exciting time to be a Penrith fan … it’s a matter of us putting it together now.”
Wallace returns to the club he played 20 games for between 2005 and 2007 before heading to the Broncos for six seasons and said “it’s good to be home”.
“It’s good to be back … it’s been a while. There is a good vibe around the place and we are all pretty tight,” he said.
“It’s maybe not a second chance but a fresh start. You probably get a little stale staying at the one place a little long and it’s probably a good time for me to move on.
“It’s a new team and a new environment. It’s great to have this opportunity and to hopefully finish my career here.”
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