Jacob Sykes is one of those old school front-rowers you could just pick up and drop into any golden era of rugby league.
“I love the physical contact stuff,’’ Sykes said, bluntly.
With a beard that would make any old bushie proud, ‘Sykesy’ is one of those players every player wants to play with.
Tough, hard, but fair. Off it, a gentle, respectful, humble young man, with a dry sense of humour who enjoys a laugh.
But don’t be fooled by the appearance of the 22-year-old from Mungindi, a small country town located on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. Sykes grew up on a family run hay bale farm with three brothers. His Grandpa was a stockman.
Sykes arrived in the ‘big smoke’ of Sydney in 2013 to attend renowned rugby league boarding school, St Gregory’s College, at Campbelltown.
In 2018, he was part of the Western Suburbs Magpies SG Ball Cup team. It was in a game against the Sea Eagles that would later lead to Sykes joining Manly.
“I always had a close eye on ‘Sykesy’. I just liked what I saw in this young, front-rower who could certainly hit,’’ recalled Manly Recruitment Officer Scott Fulton.
“We were hammering Wests at Campbelltown. The game was all but over (Manly won 64-0).
“What grabbed me was with about two minutes to go, (the late) prop Keith Titmuss took the ball up and ‘Sykesy’ just hit him hard with this full-on front tackle. He dropped him.
“Then the very next tackle, he ran from marker and basically put (second-rower) Josh Schuster on his head.
“For Jacob to show that much intensity, with the game all but over, proved to me what he had. It was the icing on the cake.
“Jacob is just a tough, honest worker. He is an out and out front-rower with a really good right arm offload. He does all the scrappy work, the things that people may not see.
“As hard as he is on the field, Jacob is a good young man with a great personality. He is always bubbly. Everyone enjoys his company off the field.”
Sykes wasted little time in making an impact at Manly, taking out the club’s Jersey Flegg Best and Fairest award in 2019.
With some Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup experience behind him last year, Sykes is gaining an invaluable insight into what it takes to make it in the NRL as a Sea Eagles development player.
“All of the NRL forwards have been great to work with. If you make a mistake, they tell you to learn from it and move on,’’ Sykes said.
“They have all been where I am now. They give you plenty of reassurance.
“I love coming into training every day. You learn so much.
“From where I am now, to the level I know I can reach, there is still a long way to go with plenty of hard work ahead.
“There are a few little things that I’m working hard on to become more of a professional player.
“Confidence is one. I just need to be me more confident within myself. I need to step up.
“Instead of just looking at a team-mate and saying ‘oh they will do that because he has been playing longer than me’, I can’t afford to do that anymore. I need to be more assertive.
“I need to take control and back myself if I want to become more of a leader.
“I do like hitting hard, though. I must admit I don’t mind a bit of contact.’’
