Adam Keighran to make NRL debut for NZ Warriors
A former Wyong Roos and Toukley Hawks junior will step into the shoes left vacant by Shaun Johnson when he makes his NRL debut for the Warriors.
Former Wyong Roos and Toukley Hawks player Adam Keighran is gearing up to make his NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors this Saturday.
The 21-year-old will don the number 6 jersey, recently vacated by Shaun Johnson, against the Bulldogs at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
Keighran’s family is flying over for the match, with dad Shane saying they were “very proud of him”.
“We’re heading over to give him support,” Mr Keighran said.
He said it was a big decision for Keighran to move to New Zealand in October last year, leaving Penrith to take a shot at the NRL with the Warriors.
“It’s great to see a kid from the coast doing so well, there’s been a few of them,” he said.
“Adam started when he was four years old, straight away loved it and has been playing ever since.”
Keighran will play alongside halfback Blake Green in the NRL season-opener.
He started at standoff in each of the club’s NRL trial wins over Melbourne and the Wests Tigers.
In an interview after the Tigers trial match, Keighran said it had been a goal of his to play for the NRL since he was a kid.
“To get into the team would be a dream come true,” he said.
However the humble Coastie said the whole squad had trained hard and whoever was picked would “get the job done”.
Keighran will be the only player on first-grade debut for the Warriors on Saturday.
The former Kanwal Public School and MacKillop Catholic College student, who played juniors for both Wyong and Toukley, appeared 26 times at Intrust Super Premiership level for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2017 and the Penrith Panthers in 2018.
Dean Wilson, who once coached and taught Keighran as a junior, said he was always a very “coachable kid who always listened intently”.
“He was really driven, even from a young age; a great athlete and very intelligent,” he said.
“He has an awesome family as well who are always behind him. I’m really excited for him, I’ve been following his progress.”
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