LEIGH LEOPARDS new signing David Armstrong admits he is not paying too much attention to the claims that he is the next Bevan French as he gears up for his first taste of Super League.
The 23-year-old was signed from Newcastle Knights after he impressed there with five tries in five appearances and Leigh fans will be hoping he lives up to all the hype of being compared to players like French and Jai Field.
Armstrong insists he won’t be listening to the hype.
“I just want to play my own game. I am not trying to be like anybody over here, I just want to be myself,” he said.
“If I can achieve half the things that Bevan has already achieved over here, I’ll be doing pretty well. I will play my own game and we’ll see what happens.”
Armstrong has already bucked the trend by coming to Super League in his early twenties rather than at the back end of his career.
“Most people come at the end of their career,” added Armstrong.
“But I have come over now because I thought it was a good opportunity to play first grade every week.
“Back home I was waiting to play first grade and I thought it was a good opportunity to come over here and develop my game in first grade for Leigh.”
Armstrong was unsure whether his move to Leigh would come about after not hearing anything following the initial interest. Thankfully, the move did happen and he cannot wait to get started.
“Lammy (Adrian Lam) and Chezzy (Chris Chester) got in contact with my agent and brought it up early on in the year. I was then left in the dark for a bit.
“It did not look like it was going to happen until a few months later. Lammy got in contact again and I thought more about it and made sense to come over and give it a shot.
“It happened overnight when they called the second time. So it ended up happening really quickly.“
Armstrong was impressed with what Lam had to say and he has already learned a lot from his head coach.
He added: “I spoke to him (Lam) on the phone a few times before coming over. The vibe I got off him over the phone was that he cares about his players and he cares about you as a person on and off the pitch.
“That is everything he has been since I have arrived here. You know he cares about his players and it’s been great to learn under him. I am looking to take my game to a next level under him.”