Off-contract Penrith star James Segeyaro has declared his desire to re-sign with an NRL side he believes is “a premiership waiting to happen”.
The Panthers rake will miss his sixth straight match when his teammates take on the Sydney Roosters on Monday, but he’s confirmed he’ll return next week against Cronulla.
The 25-year-old hasn’t played since breaking his arm in the season-opener against Canberra, but has rejoined the rest of his team in full training.
“I thought I was a chance of playing this weekend but X-rays showed there’s a little bit of a fracture still there, so best to just give it another week,” Segeyaro told AAP on Friday.
“Definitely next week against Sharkies, fingers crossed. If nothing happens, I’ll be wearing the big old Mal Meninga (arm guard), so I’m pretty excited for that.”
Veteran Peter Wallace has excelled in the No.9 in Segeyaro’s absence, creating a quandary for coach Anthony Griffin when Segeyaro returns.
Segeyaro said his teammate was “killing it” for the 2-4 Panthers.
“It’s going to be a bit of a headache to the coach, but thank god I’m not in that position,” he said.
It’s a big year for the Segeyaro, who is pining for an extension to stay at the foot of the mountains when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The club has yet to reach out to him or his management, but the former North Queensland hooker is adamant he wants to remain with a side he reckons is on the cusp of title glory.
“I haven’t spoken to the club yet. I think they’re just waiting to see what happens with the arm,” he said.
“But I definitely want to stay. Look at this (new) facility, look at the personnel around me, and look at the coach. It’s a premiership waiting to happen.”
Segeyaro said he was in no rush to decide his future.
“I can only do what I can control. Obviously, it’d be better if I was playing, but at the moment I’m only two weeks away from putting a couple of good games together,” he said.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not really stressed about it and I don’t have to be. I’m still young.”
