But at least 50-odd friends made some serious money out of it.
Manly rookie Jamie Humphreys opened the scoring in his NRL debut against the Knights.
In a two-year deal announced on Monday,Humphreys is South Sydney-bound to play under Wayne Bennett from next season. And if Daly Cherry-Evans backs up after Origin III,he will return to NSW Cup.
His NRL debut on Sunday at Four Pines Park couldn’t have gone any better for the 22-year-old or his mates,who all invested heavily in the rookie as first try-scorer in
Never mind that Jason Saab’s final pass for the try was questionable. Not when Humphreys was paying $26 with TAB and $21 with Sportsbet to be first across the stripe in his first NRL game.
Sea Eagles officials on Monday believed Humphreys’ mates had each collected a few thousand dollars by backing the local junior,who once sold NRL merchandise at Manly Leagues Club.
With friends like these:Manly rookie Jamie Humphreys is mobbed by his mates.NRL Photos
“They all had money on it,” Humphreys said,with plans to claim a portion of the winnings in celebratory drinks.
“I didn’t know about that until after the game,but there were a lot of happy faces … It means everything to be able to debut here. It’s been my dream for a long time.”
Humphreys himself was rightly chuffed too,as was his Dad and former Manly CEO Stephen,who presented his son with his first NRL jersey during the week.
When Humphreys took the kicking tee from Reuben Garrick (who battled all week with a virus),he did so after years of goal-kicking practice while waiting for his dad to finish work in the club’s front office.
Former Sea Eagles CEO Stephen Humphreys with his son Jamie after his NRL debut.NRL Photos
Humphreys has long been touted as the club’s long-term half and a playmaker of serious promise,to the point as CEO in early 2022.
Bennett and the Bunnies have since landed Humphreys’ signature.
– who was dropped by the English heavyweights over the weekend – on around $600,000 a season,and have granted injured playmaker Lachlan Ilias permission to test the market.
Humphreys hasn’t spoken to Bennett and leaves Manly in pursuit of regular first-grade opportunities,and does so with added skills to his bow after training and playing NSW Cup at hooker earlier this year.
Not that it has made leaving any easier.
“Footy isn’t always how you want it to turn out,” Humphreys said.
“I never expected those things to happen. But it’s a business at the end of the day … I’ve got really strong relationships with lots of people here. To be able to come back for Dad was pretty special for him as well.
“It’s something he has wanted for a long time as well. He’s known it’s been a dream of mine for a long time to play NRL and to have him here when I did it was pretty special.
“I haven’t spoken to Wayne personally,but the things I have heard about him are pretty special. And the people I trust have given me the advice I need. Playing (NRL) proved to me that I can handle that level.
“It’s something that now I have a taste of,I want to keep going with it and build off that. I don’t want to be one and done,I want to build off this.”
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