When you talk of the positives to come out of 2018, you instantly think about AJ Brimson.
The 20-year-old was a shining light through the NYC competition last year and at the start of this season, it was a case of when, not if, when it came to him making his NRL debut.
Coach Garth Brennan was honest with Brimson from the start, wanting him to spend some time in the Intrust Super Cup playing against older opposition, before he was thrown into the deep end of week to week NRL competition.
"I'd only ever played 20s until Q-Cup this year and I'm definitely grateful for that," Brimson said.
"I wasn't in a rush at the start and I know Garth has had a lot of experience with younger players down at Penrith.
"I definitely think that the delay (in making his debut) helped me in the long run."
The Runaway Bay junior made is long awaited debut in Round 10 against the Melbourne Storm and simply didn't look back.
To finish the year, Brimson played 15 games and was nominated for 'Rookie of the Year' for both the RLPA and Dally M Awards.
"Yeah, pretty stoked," he said of his year. "At the start of the year I simply said I wanted to play a game but to have 15, I'm very happy with that."
After spending time at both five-eighth and fullback, Brimson is still unsure as to where he can see his future.
He scored seven tries and averaged just under 100m per game. Known as a runner of the ball, Brimson will return to 2019 pre-season looking to add more strings to his bow.
