When Phil Sami talks about season 2022, you can hear the frustration in his voice.
After a huge pre-season, Sami says he was ready for a big year until injury slowed his ambitions.
"I was pretty disappointed to be honest, I had a big pre-season and I was fit, I think as fit as I've ever been," Sami said.
"I started off pretty good in round one and then a couple of weeks after that I did my knee.
"It slowed me down a bit and then I wasn't at my full potential, so hopefully I can get there this year."
Player Media: Phil Sami
Sami says his body is now back to full health and he's ready to get into some hard work this pre-season.
"We're in for a big one (pre-season)," he said.
"The body is good, I'm back to 100 per cent so it is all about staying healthy now.
"Sometimes you can't help it, injuries happen, but I want to make sure I do the little things to stay fit.
"The younger boys that started early have said it's been pretty tough, but that's what we need.
"It's going to be a good pre-season for us.
"It's not going to be fun, but we've got to do it."
With the emergence of Jojo Fifita in 2022 and the recruitment of former Bulldogs centre Aaron Schoupp, Sami knows that there will be plenty of competition for outside back positions.
He says that will drive players to perform this pre-season.
"Nobody has locked in a spot, you've got everybody competing to spots, especially for centre and wing spots," he said.
"We've got Aaron Schoupp coming in and we've all seen how he plays as a good defender and footy player, so he will be good for our club."
Sami knows there will be debate about his best position, but he says he's had a good chat about the coach and understands that both centre or wing could be a possibility next season.
"I spoke to Justin (Holbrook) about that and he just said to have an open mind.
"I don't mind where I play, I just want to get a starting 17 spot for round one.
"We've got a lot of competition in the outside backs and the healthy competition is going to drive us more to be more professional and to drive each other.
"I don't mind playing centre and I've played wing my whole NRL career, so whatever it is I'm happy to do."
