Knights recruit Kai Pearce-Paul almost moved to Australia four years ago.
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Back then, the Melbourne Storm were chasing the highly-rated English teenager.
But he chose to stay in his home country and launch his senior career at Wigan.
It paid dividends in more ways than one.
Wigan just won the Super League for the first time since 2018, and Pearce-Paul has developed into an England international, who last year was in the sights of multiple NRL clubs as he again considered a move to Australia.
No less than Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett and Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould came calling.
But ultimately, Pearce-Paul chose the Knights, and the club can thank former winger and fellow Englishman Dom Young for swaying the back-rower's mind.
"I did speak to Dom when I was sort of indecisive," Pearce-Paul told the Newcastle Herald on Friday.
![Kai Pearce-Paul, who has joined the Knights for the next two seasons, at Dixon Park beach on Friday. Picture by Peter Lorimer Kai Pearce-Paul, who has joined the Knights for the next two seasons, at Dixon Park beach on Friday. Picture by Peter Lorimer](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/a7b8a9f0-a487-4de3-b742-97545efd8ea7.JPG/r0_0_4320_2957_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I approached him on social media and asked him how he was finding it.
"He sold me a dream, really. He just said: 'Best thing ever, I'm really enjoying it. Just get yourself out here, mate, honestly'.
"He hasn't lied one bit.
"It's absolutely amazing out here and I couldn't be any happier right now, really."
Pearce-Paul, who has previously been likened to Sonny Bill Williams, has signed on for the next two seasons.
He arrived this week with another English recruit, Will Pryce, ahead of pre-season training this month.
It's a huge move for the pair. Pryce, 20, has never even lived out of home.
![Will Pryce and Kai Pearce-Paul. Picture by Peter Lorimer Will Pryce and Kai Pearce-Paul. Picture by Peter Lorimer](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/3924b61a-581a-4c01-86c0-6341067704cc.JPG/r0_643_3664_3645_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Pearce-Paul, however, has spent the past few years in the north of England, playing 61 games for Wigan.
The 22-year-old was born and raised in south-east London, emerging from the relatively minnow competition in the capital compared to England's northern rugby league heartland. He followed his older brother into the sport, but played both union and league as a child.
"In London, rugby league is not big at all," he said. "At 18, I signed with Wigan.
"Not many players go off and have a dig in the north. It's sort of unheard of.
"I was playing for London Broncos' academy, and we played Wigan one time and I got picked up from there. It's been the best thing ever. It's changed my whole life."
Fresh off a 10-2 win over Catalan Dragons in last month's Super League grand final, Pearce-Paul can't wait to dive into the NRL.
Almost two metres tall and more than 100 kilograms, the forward, who is of Faroese, St Vincent and Antiguan descent, has an imposing frame and shapes as an X-factor type forward.
With Lachlan Fitzgibbon's departure leaving a vacancy in the back-row, the position appears Pearce-Paul's to seize.
He's more experienced than some of the club's other edge-forwards, but the three-time international is taking nothing for granted.
"I'm only 22, I've played four years of Super League but there's always more," he said. "Even the top players could always say there's more in their game.
"There's plenty more improvement for me in my game, and coming to a club like this with the coaching and the staff they've got, is giving me an opportunity to push those levels, and trying to get to my highest point."
As for comparisons to SBW, Pearce-Paul has never got ahead of himself.
"It's an absolute honour," he said. "He was that guy I loved watching play ... and my style is similar to his. I like to offload, and he was the best at it.
"But at the end of the day, I'm my own player, I want to take my own route and be my own person.
"But it's lovely to hear that."
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