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Mason Lino has no regrets about leaving the Warriors, even if opportunities could have opened up for him at the club.
Lino had a year left on his contract at the Warriors, but was given an early release to sign a two-year deal with the Knights.
He had his best season in the NRL so far this year, playing in six games and scoring two tries. He showed he’s more than just a steady hand, but can be a creative player also.
However, the halfback was never going to get a look in when Shaun Johnson was fit and decided there was a better chance of him being a regular first grade player in Newcastle, even though Kalyn Ponga has been talking about joining Mitchell Pearce in the halves there next year.
With Johnson’s future under a cloud as the Warriors don’t want to offer him a contract for 2020 yet, it’s still not 100 per cent certain he’ll be with the club next year and a starting spot could have fallen into the lap of Lino.
But Lino says he still believes he made the right decision to leave the Warriors.
‘‘I don’t know how all of that works, but for me, I just wanted to come over to Newcastle,’’ Lino told Stuff.
‘‘When I spoke to Browny [Knights coach, Nathan Brown], he said he could help me improve as a half and that’s the main goal for me. I’m still young and I need to do what I have to do, to establish myself as a first grader.
‘‘Here at the Knights, they’ve taught me a lot of things that I didn’t know about and I’ve really taken that on board.
‘‘I really enjoyed my time at the Warriors,’’ he added.
‘‘I learnt a lot from Shaun, but I’ve gone somewhere to get an opportunity to play in the halves and to do that I’ve had to pack my bags and come over here.’’
Lino felt during his time in the first grade this year he was able to demonstrate that he was good enough to play first grade footy.
‘‘That was always my goal since I was a young kid, to try to prove myself,’’ he said.
‘‘What I was impressed about when speaking to Nathan Brown was that he said he could help me become a better half.
‘‘So I couldn’t say no to that and I want to learn as much as I can while I’m here.’’
Lino, 24, had been with the Warriors throughout his career, coming up through the juniors, so it’s not surprising that he’s having to adjust to a new environment.
‘‘I’ve never really been away from home before, so all of those little things that got done at home, I’ve got to do on my own now. That’s been the biggest change for me. But it’s been pretty good, I’ve got James Gavet living with me at the moment and he’s been helping me out.’’
Lino will return to New Zealand for Christmas, then move back to Newcastle for the season and he says he’s already loving Novocastrian life.
‘‘I’m enjoying the place, the traffic is so much better than it is in Auckland,’’ he said.
‘‘Everything is 10-15 minutes away and you can’t say no to that. The shopping malls here are big, so my wife will like that and the beach is close by.’’
‘‘I’m still young and I need to do what I have to do, to establish myself as a first grader.’’
Mason Lino