PHOTO:
Mark Evans (Patten), Mark Kolbe (Panthers), Phil Hillyard (Main);
Nathan
Hopkins/NRLPhotos.com
(Bulldogs
Inset)
20 BIGLEAGUE 2019 Round 20
D
ALLIN Watene-Zelezniak isn’t one to
back down from a fight, but when he
faces his former club Penrith for the
first time this Saturday, he isn’t going to let
them get under his skin.
Although he left the foot of the
mountains abruptly mid-way through the
season, Watene-Zelezniak is still close with
his former team-mates – but that doesn’t
mean they’re not going to attempt to rile
him up when they clash this weekend.
“They’ll be niggling at me a little bit, I’m
expecting that and I’m looking forward to
it,” Watene-Zelezniak tells Big League.
“If I don’t know the bloke and he starts
something, then that’s when I fire up, but
it’ll be a bit different against my mates.
“I’ve been all right this year. I’ve calmed
down and focused on playing good footy,
but I know my mates will niggle at me.
I’ll just be myself. I know they’ll be giving
it to me but we’ll see what happens.”
Having debuted for the Panthers as
a teenager in 2014, Watene-Zelezniak
expected to play his entire career at
the western Sydney club.
The New Zealand representative wore
the Penrith jersey on 106 occasions
and became a fan favourite, but when
things didn’t work out this season he decided
to leave for a fresh opportunity at Belmore.
He was originally linked to North Queensland
and the Wests Tigers, but ended up joining
the Bulldogs, who host the Panthers at
Bankwest Stadium this Saturday.
“It’s going to be different, it’ll be
a bit weird coming up against some of
the mates I’ll have for life,” he says.
“I’m still close with everyone. I try to
keep in contact with all of them as much
as I can but I’ve got two babies and a wife
so my time is pretty limited.”BROTHERLY BOND
Since Watene-Zelezniak left the foot
of the mountains back in June, the
Panthers have only tasted defeat once
in eight games. Instead of being bitter
about his former club’s success, the
new Bulldog is overjoyed for them and
even keeps a keen eye on their games.
“I’ve still got mates there so I’m
really happy with how they’ve been
going,” he says.This season has been a tale of two halves for the Bulldogs’ newest recruit,
but he’s ready to bounce back to his dangerous best. By MICHAEL BLOK
Gone to t
Although it was only a local move across
Sydney, it was a daunting transition for him
– but after just five games in blue-and-white,
Watene-Zelezniak feels at home.
The Kiwis captain refuses to share the finer
details behind his departure from the Panthers,
but he has hinted at his disapproval of the
off-field drama that dominated the pre-season.
“I’m loving it at the Bulldogs. It’s an amazing
club and they’ve got the culture and
values that align with mine. That’s all
you want as a player,” he says.
Watene-Zelezniak had also shared
his desire to wear the No.1 jersey, and
even though he played a couple games
at the back this season, coach Ivan Cleary
favoured Dylan Edwards at fullback.
He also wanted to link up with Dean Pay.“I’m always going
to be honest and if I get some honestly
back it’s going to work well. That’s what
I saw with Dean Pay and why I wanted to
work under him,” he says.
“I also saw him as a coach who will
take my game as a fullback to another
level. There are still a few things I struggle
with because I’m still learning the role,
but hopefully Dean will help with that.”“It was tough going through all those losses
when I was there, but they’ve been going well
lately. For them to be winning and getting
things right now makes me really happy.
“I put a lot of hard work into training
there with those boys and I know how
hard they’ve worked. For them to be getting
the rewards now makes me happy to see.”
Although his brother, Malakai, hasn’t
been named inPenrith’s NRL team to face the Bulldogs
this weekend, Dallin says there’ll still
be plenty of banter with his sibling.
The pair had previously rivalled each
other when Malakai played for the
Wests Tigers, but he’s now the one
representing Penrith.
“It’s different because normally
I’m the one in the Panthers colours,”
the Bulldogs fullback says.
Malakai, who has struggled with
injuries and form recently, has played
just four NRL games this season,
however Dallin believes his brother
deserves a longer run in the top grade.
“Hopefully he gets another
stint in the NRL because he deserves
to be there,” Watene-Zelezniak says.
“He’s an amazing player and I’ve
learned everything I know off him. I feel
he should be getting a start somewhere.”BELMORE-BOUND
Playing at Penrith was all Watene-Zelezniak
had ever known, so the prospect of leaving
his comfort zone took a giant leap of faith.