Huddersfield Giants rising star Will Pryce says he has no issue with the extra pressure and expectation on him this season.
The 19-year-old only broke through last season, scoring six tries in 13 appearances, but is already one of the faces not only of his club but of the next generation of English talent.
That was cemented by his role in the video advert for the new Super League season, which was released last week.
But Pryce remains level-headed about the extra attention he is getting and insists it won’t affect him on the field.
“The media side of rugby is not so much a chore for myself, I quite enjoy it,” said Pryce.
“I enjoy doing the media stuff, I enjoy being on camera or doing interviews.
“I know what my job is, rugby comes first and I wouldn’t be getting this attention now if it wasn’t for my rugby, for the way I’ve performed.
“It’s big for me, it’s big responsibility and I’ve got a lot of expectation on my shoulders for this year, but that’s all outside noise for me.
“Once I’m on the pitch it’s about how I do my job correctly and making sure I do the right things and put the team first for us to win.”
Pryce has been handed the Giants’ number one jersey for this year and will be making the switch from halfback to fullback.
He had only played a handful of games in the position before injuries saw him take on the role more in the Academy side last year.
Although still a relative newcomer to what is a key position in the team, Pryce is confident he has prepared well over pre-season for his new role.
“The pre-season I’ve had training at fullback, getting the repetitions in and teaching myself the role and the different intricacies of how to be a good fullback has given me good preparation for this year,” he said.
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