How background in high-jump and a licence to eat put Tom Jenkins on the path to bumper payday
Arguably the NRL’s most improved player, Tom Jenkins has a licence to eat, springs in his feet and the biggest pay day of his career coming in the mail.
Jenkins sits atop the NRL tryscoring tally with eight four-pointers in three games for the Panthers, continuing his remarkable rise from Ron Massey Cup to polishing off plays on the end of Penrith’s all-star backline.
The 25-year-old from Boorowa on the NSW South West Slopes (population roughly 2000) is in the form of his life and as a result, in extension talks with the Panthers – though he remains off-contract and is seemingly bumping his value up with every game.
In February last year, Jenkins went from no contract at all, just afternoon NSW Cup training runs, to an $85,000 Panthers development deal as he forced his way back into the NRL.
He turned that into an upgraded top-30 contract again for this season. Rivals – including Saturday’s local derby opposition Parramatta – are interested, though Jenkins’ priority is to stay at Penrith given his impressive rebirth under Ivan Cleary.
Jenkins’ numbers from last season – 13 tries from 21 games – have shot through the roof again after another NRL off-season, which he spent living the dream – putting on weight for fun.
“We identified a couple of things to tinker with in my game, and it ended up that I needed a bit of size and strength to do that,” Jenkins said after last Friday’s four-try haul against the Roosters.
“So I put on a fair bit of weight. I don’t think I’ve ever been this heavy at 98 kilos, I think I was playing at 92, 93 last year.
“It wasn’t anything fancy – just making my meals a fair bit bigger with the performance staff and a lot of gym-work. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, and it helps me with yardage, carries into the defence and the physical side of the game”.
Jenkins’ natural athleticism has made him an aerial target and a favourite recipient of Nathan Cleary’s crossfield kicks.
His background as a state high-jumper – “I think maybe 192 centimetres was my max height at 17” – has been plain to see across Penrith’s undefeated start to the season.
So too, the payoff of Jenkins’ call to walk away from Newcastle at the end of 2024, when he and the Knights agreed to a mutual release after he played just five games for the club.
Or as Ivan Cleary referenced again after the Roosters trouncing, “he handed back a year’s contract that he didn’t have to, but he did, just because he wanted to be somewhere that he was happier.”
Understandably, Jenkins couldn’t be happier with how everything’s worked out.
Especially considering that when he took that first call from then-Panthers NSW Cup coach Ben Harden, Jenkins figured, “I could go to Penrith training to keep my skills up and be a better player in Ron Massey [Cup] for St Mary’s.
“I wanted to play good footy with my mates there and that’s honestly as far as I thought it would go.”
As for what comes next, the answer is, understandably, pretty simple again for Jenkins.
“There’s a few [extension] discussions going on now, but in saying that, I leave most of that to my manager,” he says.
“The club’s been really good to me and hopefully, we’ll get something done. My job’s to play good footy and that stuff will sort itself out. And the great [Panthers scout] Jimmy Jones always says, ‘you don’t play good footy unless you’re happy’.
“I’m quite happy to just focus on my footy because the culture here is great and is about making sure we’re happy and working hard.”
Dan Walsh is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.