NRL 2022: Knights flyer Dominic Young makes huge impression in impressive win over Roosters

He copped flak for some handling errors and poor defensive reads last year but Newcastle flyer Dom Young has hit the ground running in 2022 - and he puts it down to a ‘big pre-season’.

Young has helped the Knights get off to a flying start.

He’s bigger, stronger and faster than just about every kid he played against back home, but English winger Dom Young admits his introduction into the NRL last year left him doubting himself for the first time in his career.

Having made the move to Australia after a couple of games for Huddersfield, Young didn’t have the best of pre-seasons, and it showed on the field.

He scored four tries in six games for Newcastle but he did cop some flak for a number of handling errors and some poor defensive reads.

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Dominic Young leaps over the Roosters defence to score a great try.

But something has clearly clicked for the 20-year-old after Young was one of Newcastle’s shining lights in their Round 1 win over the Roosters.

He ran for 116 metres, scored a powerful try and dominated his battle with rep winger Daniel Tupou in defence.

“I don’t know what it is, but I just came into the pre-season like I had a point to prove,” the 200cm winger said after his side’s shock win over the Roosters.

“I was kinda happy playing last year, but I felt like I could have done more. I wanted to prove what I was really about, so I put my head down and tried to get the best out of myself all pre-season, which is probably something I haven’t done in the past.

“Last year is the first time I’ve had to deal with a bit of doubt. I guess that got to me a little bit, so this year I’m trying to leave no doubt in my mind and just kick on.

“I blocked it out and it didn’t get to me too much, but it was the first time that I had to deal with it so it was something new. I don’t read into it too much so this year I’m trying to control it.”

Dominic Young and Phoenix Crossland celebrate the Knights’ win.

Young’s impressive performance didn’t go unnoticed, with his coach heaping praise on him after Saturday’s game.

“I’m really, really happy for Dom,” Adam O’Brien said.

“I feel like he’s sort of arrived now. He hadn’t played a lot against adults. He’d played kids and obviously dominated. He didn’t just move down the road, he came over here as a really young guy, and I thought it shocked him, the pre-season.

“But this year it’s a complete 180. He’s thrived, and it’s no secret that if you have a strong pre-season (then you play well).”

Young’s next step is to back up his stellar first-up effort so he can lock down a spot in Newcastle’s impressive backline which still has guys like Edrick Lee and Hymel Hunt waiting to come back into the side.

If he does that then he could become one of the first English outside backs to successfully make the move to the NRL.

Young has helped the Knights get off to a flying start.

Guys like Sam Tomkins, Zak Hardaker and Greg Eden struggled over here, and that’s why Young reached out to former Huddersfield teammate Jordan Turner for some advice after his short stint with the Raiders.

“I want to stop that trend of English outside backs coming over here and struggling,” he said.

“I think it’s my physical attributes that are helping me at the minute, and I want to showcase that every week.

“I definitely took that on board in year one, but I think having that year under my belt going into this season has definitely helped me.

“I feel a lot fitter than I did last year. I’m used to it now and there are no surprises.”

Roosters caught short as bunker rules players out

- Michael Carayannis

The bunker reduced the Roosters to 15 players after ruling Victor Radley and Billy Smith out of the match because of concussion despite coach Trent Robinson saying the duo had “no symptoms”.

Radley became the first player taken from the field under the NRL’s new rules which allows independent doctors who sit in the bunker to immediately sideline players for the remainder of a match against the Knights at the SCG.

The player must show “category one” concussion symptoms for the bunker to remove them from the game and that includes a player losing consciousness, falling without protecting themselves and unsteadiness on their feet.

Radley was assessed on the field by the Roosters orange shirt trainer – who is wired up to the club’s doctor on the sidelines – but given the green light to play on after making heavy contact attempting to tackle Jake Clifford.

However, the bunker intervened to end Radley’s match after just 26 minutes. He managed to be placed on report for a crusher tackle before being pulled from the field.

Victor Radley put a big hit on Knights five-eighth Jake Clifford. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Victor Radley had to leave the field after independent doctors in the bunker reviewed the tackle. Picture: NRL Photos

Smith was also taken from the field by the bunker with 26 minutes left in the match.

“He went straight to his neck,” Robinson said. “Billy has no concussion – he did not even remember an incident until the doctor showed him.

“For them (the bunker) to go to category one instead of category two was tough for us. You have to give faith to the doctor’s to look at it.

“They don’t have any symptoms at all. The process is right but you have to be careful.”

The bunker can call on players to be removed for a head injury assessment instead of permanently ruling them out of the fixture. The changes were made to help the medical staff on the ground and to scale back the potential for teams to use concussions loopholes to aid interchanges.

Robinson backed the shift in policy.

“It’s frustrating at the moment but I agree with what they have gone to,” Robinson said. “They’ve made a call on how to get rid of the cheating of the system which has been there. They have to make sure they are not pulling guys out of games without any symptoms. There has to be consultation.”