Knights forward Jack Johns has hailed former teammate Zac Hosking's commitment to pursue an NRL career after he left Newcastle to seek an opportunity at Brisbane and landed at Penrith.
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Johns, 25, and Hosking, 26, played together in the lower grades for multiple seasons and on Saturday face off for the first time at NRL level when the Panthers travel to McDonald Jones Stadium.
Hosking has been named to start in the back-row for Penrith, the club he joined late last year after debuting and playing four games for the Broncos in 2022.
A Central Newcastle junior, Hosking moved to Brisbane in late 2021 to take up a train-and-trial deal with the Broncos and play for state cup side Wynnum Manly.
In his own words, the shift north was giving his NRL dream "one last crack" after being overlooked by the Knights for a full-time contract despite winning the club's NSW Cup player-of-the-year award in 2021.
But after an impressive mid-season debut, the Panthers immediately went after Hosking and he inked a two-year deal with the reigning premiers shortly after.
"He deserves it a lot, Zac. He has worked harder than most," Johns said.
"Even when we were playing in the 20s together, he was always last to training because he'd been to work all day on a [building] site.
"I remember him playing a game against the Roosters here in 20s at three o'clock on a Friday arvo and he told the coach he might be a bit late.
"I remember him rocking up halfway through the warm-up, still with all the paint all over him, and he pretty much did no warm-up and went out there and made 50 tackles and got man of the match.
"It just sums up what type of bloke Zac is. He is a bloke you can just rely on."
Hosking, who featured in Penrith's pre-season fixtures - including the World Club Challenge loss to St Helens, had to wait until round four to play NRL but has made the most of his opportunity, scoring two tries in the past three games.
Johns is not surprised he has hit the ground running at his new club.
"He is a great example, Zac. He is just a hard worker and a reliable bloke on and off the field," he said.
"With players like that, your personality comes out on the field and I think it's just working out for Zaccy in that way. It's great to see."
A self-termed "late-bloomer" himself, Johns said Hosking was an inspiration for players on the fringe of NRL squads who might be weighing up whether to continue chasing a professional career.
"You have your doubts, same as me you have your doubts here and there, and he had moments when he thought the same," Johns, a 14-game NRL forward, said.
"But he stuck to it and it just shows how resilient he is. It's a credit to him.
"Everyone around him knows how much he deserves it and is just so proud of him."
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