Benjamin Rumble has enjoyed a good stint with the St George Illawarra Dragons in the 2023 Jersey Flegg under-21s competition.
Since moving from the wing to fullback, Rumble has scored four tries in his last three games, and in that time, the Dragons have strung together three straight wins on the road, defeating Canberra 30-20 in Round 16, Melbourne 22-12 in Round 17, and most recently, Cronulla 34-18 in Round 18.
The 19-year-old showed off his ability against the Sharks, with Rumble scoring a double as the Dragons moved to seventh on the Jersey Flegg ladder.
“It’s always good to score a try,” Rumble said.
The Dragons endured a tough start to the season, losing three of their first four games, and Rumble explained that some continuity within the squad had made a huge difference.
“We definitely had a tough start to the season, but we’ve come on well, and we’re all really close, everyone is loving their footy,” Rumble said.
“There was a fair few positional changes early in the season, but for the last three or four games, we’ve all been in the same position, and it’s all starting to flow.”
For Rumble, he’s happy to be playing fullback, but the Cootamundra Bulldog’s product understands that he needs to continue to perform to keep the coveted custodian role.
“I started this year on the wing and only slotted into fullback the last four or five games,” Rumble said.
“It’s good to wear the number one jersey, it means a lot, and each time I put it on, I always try and do my best because I know what it feels like not to wear it.”
The youngster, born in Canberra, and raised in Yass as a Magpie before moving to Cootamundra in the under 10s, is in his second season of a three-year contract with the Dragons.
He explained how he progressed from the 2022 under-19s Illawarra Steelers side to the Dragons under-21s outfit.
“This is my first year with the Dragons; last year, I played SG ball with the Steelers,” Rumble said.
“After SG ball, I went back and played for the Collegians First-Grade team in the Presidents Cup competition and was coached by Nathan Fien, who’s now at the Dolphins.
“We had a good season and won the comp, and off the back of that good season, I got a crack with the Dragons.”
As far as what the future holds for Rumble, he dreams of playing in the NRL, but he knows he needs to work for it.
“The end goal is the NRL, but hopefully sometime this year, I get a game or two of NSW Cup and play some consistent footy,” Rumble said.
“If I can do that, I might get a preseason in the (Dragons) NRL squad, and I’ll look to take those smaller steps at the moment and just play some good footy.”
Rumble, who’s been named at fullback again, will get another chance to impress his coaches on Saturday, with the Dragons hosting the Canberra Raiders at Centenary Field, Wollongong.