KALLUM Watkins has three words that sum up his attitude ahead of 2017’s ‘calendar from hell’ – bring it on.
The England star could have a monumentally busy year in front of him.
He may have 22 Super League games for Leeds, another seven in the Super 8s, the semi-finals and Grand Final, as well as four Challenge Cup fixtures.
Then there is also England’s mid-season Test against Samoa in Sydney and then, hopefully, six games in the Rugby League World Cup.
Throw in a couple of runouts in friendlies and national coach Wayne Bennett’s controversial training camp in Dubai next month and Watkins may be playing rugby from January to December.
But Watkins is ready to take on all-comers while some Super League coaches slam the schedule.
He said: “We’ve got to try these things. Hopefully it can pay off but ultimately it’s got to be from ourselves and the team, together, to believe that we can do it.
“It’s a lot but that’s what we play this sport for. If it comes to flying back from Brisbane in early December after the World Cup Final, it’s going to be worth it.
“We’ve got a little camp which is going to be tough for many of us but it’s something we can benefit from, definitely.
“It will be interesting to see how we’re handled but it could possibly be a very, very long season.
“But I feel like last season was long anyway and we probably didn’t play as many games as we have done in the past.
“I’ve got the experience in terms of trying to look after my body and we’re trying to do what we can to try and be the best team in the world.”
Watkins has another reason for wanting to show his best for wanting to go through an epic 2017 – international frustration.
He believes he has not re-produced what he has done for the Rhinos in an England shirt, especially during the recent Four Nations tournament.
He added: “In terms of my own performance, that’s what made me frustrated, especially against Scotland where I didn’t really get involved or get the ball.
“But I thought I played pretty well against Australia, which was a bonus for me because at the end of the day, in my opinion I haven’t performed well enough on the international stage.
“That’s a huge thing for me to aim for.
“I’m my own harshest critic and I want to get the best out of myself. But it’s a case of, ‘Shoulda, woulda, coulda,’ it’s up to me to do something about it.”
While Watkins has international ambitions, Leeds have plenty to prove domestically after 2016 saw them go from treble winners to fighting relegation.
Almost a year ago to the day, their training ground at Kirkstall was flooded and did not re-open for months after a complete re-build costing £1.5 million.
Many days, Brian McDermott’s men literally woke up not knowing where they would be training, causing massive disruption.
But the Rhinos – who today announced the signing of Manly Sea Eagles hooker Matt Parcell on a three-year deal – started to show what they could do towards the end of the season and Watkins hopes to continue that comeback.
The 25-year-old said: “Last season distracted us a lot, having to go to different places with last minute calls and we couldn’t practice everything we wanted to.
“It had been very successful for a decade or so, so last season was pretty poor but at the same time it was a learning curve, particularly for the players coming through.
“We’ve had to learn from the things we’ve had to put up with and hopefully we’ll put a big year in 2017.
“Now we want to prove that we’re good enough to be where we want to be.”
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