Father of David Armstrong reveals moment he found out his son was set to make NRL debut

In a moment which will live with him forever, Newcastle Knights fullback David Armstrong’s dad reveals the moment he found out his son would make his NRL debut.

David Armstrong in action during pre-season. Picture: Knights Media.

From the country towns of Mungindi and Goondiwindi, to the bright lights of the Newcastle Knights NRL program, David Armstrong has done his father proud wherever he’s gone.

The 23-year-old has been on fire over the last two seasons in the NSW Cup and will make his long-awaited NRL debut this Sunday, when his Knights take on The Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.

For Armstrong’s dad – David Armstrong senior – words cannot describe how proud he is of his son ahead of his debut game.

“It’s a bloody massive achievement for a little kid from the bush, I don’t think words can really explain,” he said.

Armstrong was filled with emotion as he recalled the moment he found out his son was selected to replace injured NRL superstar Kalyn Ponga.

“Luckily enough I was going home for an early smoko, so I was home at the time,” he said.

“I was sitting there and I obviously watch all his games and watched Adam O’Brien’s press conference and seen a phone call come through there on Monday morning and was like ‘I got an idea what this is about’.

“So yeah I answered it and had a bit of a chat and got the old ‘what are you up to this weekend?’.

“I pretty much just said ‘mate it depends what the next words are that come out of your mouth’.

David Armstrong with young Newcastle Knights fans. Picture: Knights Media.

“He sort of got a bit emotional and rattled off what was going on and it was pretty hard to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the day.”

With the team lists not announced to the public until 4pm the following day, Armstrong said it was an extremely difficult challenge to keep the news quiet.

“I’m a manager on a little small cotton farm out at Boomi in the north west of New South Wales and my guys and myself work close together and I had to ditch them for the rest of the day and jump in the ute and do a fair bit of driving around,” he said.

Armstrong has watched his son play countless times across various levels of competition but this weekend’s game was by far the most excited he has ever been for a game.

“We go to quite a few of Davy’s games, watching him grow up as a little boy out in the bush out at Mungindi with no shoes on to playing NRL – the excitement is just next level,” he said.

This weekend’s NRL debutant grew up playing for the Mungindi Grasshoppers – where the other teams were often hundreds of kilometres away.

However, despite the incredible distances he would take his son to play rugby league, Armstrong senior refused to label it as a sacrifice.

David Armstrong playing rugby league for Mungindi as a junior.

“I don’t call it sacrifices … that’s what we do for our kids regardless,” he said.

“We were like 350 (kilometre) return trip every football match we would take him to back in the junior days.

“We went out to Lightning Ridge, Cunnamulla, Dirranbandi, out to St George, it was only a small area but it there were a few ks there to cover.”

Armstrong said it was clear from an early age that his son was talented and had potential to play at a high level.

“Out in our area, Davy wasn’t the biggest kid but he was always the leader of the team winning all the awards and making all the rep sides,” Armstrong said.

“Fortunately out where we are now, our rep sides were weight divisions so 35kg in an under-10 carnival and 43kg in an under-12 carnival.

“Going to those carnivals, he was getting Player of the Carnival and best back of the carnival and you sort of thought ‘I think this kid’s going to go somewhere in life with the footy if he sticks with it’.”

After impressing in those junior rep carnivals, Armstrong said his message to his son was simple.

“Basically follow your dreams,” he said.

“Davy’s that sort of kid that’s head’s always been screwed on well – a very cool, calm, collected kid.

“He was never in trouble at school, he was just always that next level of where he should have been in schooling, behaving and he was just a natural talent at whatever he did.”

David Armstrong on his way to score a try for Goondiwindi in the 2021 TRL grand final. Picture: Nev Madsen.

After leading the Goondiwindi Boars to the 2021 Toowoomba Rugby League Premiership, the entire town of Goondiwindi has gotten behind the young fullback in his NRL pursuits.

“I am yet to get into Gundy to have a look,” he said.

“My boss lives in Gundy and the company I work for is based in Gundy as well and he said every shop window you drive past and the pubs have all got the posters up in the window.

“Even just getting the info passed on it makes you that proud.

“I personally am going to get in there to have a look around and see it for myself.”

Armstrong senior also credited the entire Newcastle Knights coaching staff who have helped build him into an NRL player.

“It is a credit to the Knights too, he went down there as a very slim young man … they’ve done a great job with him to get him to where he is – they know what they are doing,” he said.

”Big credit to his player manager Paul Sutton, he’s taken him on and worked over a three-year program and Davy’s come in right on cue for what he was planning to do with him.”