‘Really stung me’: Snub motivating Hosking every day
Jasper Bruce |
Zac Hosking can’t forget how he was overlooked for the 2023 NRL grand final, and now he has the chance to make amends for the snub with Canberra this season.
After a long-awaited NRL debut at 25 the season prior, Hosking played 21 of a possible 24 regular-season games in a breakout year for Penrith in 2023.
But despite an excellent campaign, Hosking found himself ousted from the Panthers’ bench by Luke Garner for the preliminary final and decider.
The good-natured forward watched from the sidelines as the Panthers came from 16 points down to defeat Brisbane in one of the greatest grand finals in recent memory.
“It’s something I think about every day, to be honest. Missing that game really stung me in 2023,” Hosking told AAP ahead of Friday’s clash with the Panthers.
The Panthers released Hosking to sign a multi-year deal with the Raiders a few months later, but injuries cruelled his first campaign in the nation’s capital.
This NRL season has been Hosking’s best yet, with the 28-year-old locking down a regular spot in a ladder-leading side that has plenty of options in the forward pack.
With three weeks before finals, Hosking can sense something special is brewing in Canberra and is hopeful of a second chance at grand-final glory after coming so close in 2023.
“I can see that opportunity coming again and it’s something I’m going to jump towards,” he said.
“To get a bit of success, it might be something that can overshadow the disappointment of missing out.”
The Raiders enter round 25 atop the ladder and on track for a first minor premiership since 1990, a far cry from pre-season predictions that had them outside the top eight.
“We’ve shocked a lot of people who wrote us off before a ball was kicked. We love being in a position to be able to do that,” Hosking said.
“The pleasing thing is that it hasn’t just been good games here and there, it’s been extremely consistent.”
As the Raiders made their way up the ladder, Hosking noted similarities between his new side and his old firm, the all-conquering Panthers.
“Particularly the styles of play, that they play and we play, both sides play the long game, kick to the corners and see who breaks first,” he said.
“There’s definitely some similarities with some older leadership and experience and then a great mix of some exciting young talent.”
Friday’s match with the resurgent Panthers shapes as one of the most anticipated matches of the regular season – and is also Hosking’s 50th first-grade game.
Hosking has long been eager for his first meeting with the Panthers, having missed the Raiders’ win last year with a shoulder injury.
“It was one I loved watching from the sidelines, watching the boys get it over them. To be able to be a part of that game this year is going to be pretty good,” said Hosking.
AAP
