Pompey the Great slowly building his own empire
Adam Pompey laughs when it is suggested he is now the senior centre at the Warriors, even though he is starting to play like one.
The 22-year-old has taken the long road to the NRL, but after years of toil, it feels like he is finally making his mark. Pompey was the hero last Saturday, scoring the late try that sealed the 34-31 comeback win over Canberra, as he powered over the line from 15m out.
“Yeah, it was a special moment,” said Pompey. “To get over the line again and just to help out the boys. It was an amazing feeling, as you saw in the try [celebration].”
That play put the quietly-spoken Pompey in the limelight, but he has been knocking on the door for a while, a consistent performer when given a chance since his debut in July 2019. He played five games that year, then 13 last season, as the Warriors squad was thinned by injuries and withdrawals.
His numbers from 2020 were impressive — five tries, eight line breaks and around 100 running metres a game — but Pompey was back on the fringes in pre-season with the arrival of Euan Aitken from the Dragons.
But Aitken’s injury in round one provided an opportunity, which he has taken superbly.
He scored a powerful try against the Knights, along with 15 runs for 120m, before his clutch play in Canberra, which took his NRL tally to nine tries in 20 matches.
With Peta Hiku also sidelined, Pompey’s importance in the outside back division is even more pronounced, ahead of Sunday night’s clash with the Roosters.
“Don’t call me the senior centre at the moment, I’m still learning the game,” Pompey said with a laugh.
“If I can get help from experienced centres, I will just do my thing. I’m getting confident in the way that I’m playing at the moment, still got a lot to work on. But obviously getting an opportunity again is very special.”
Pompey’s NRL dream started in 2014, when he was scouted by the Roosters while playing rugby for Wesley College.
The schoolboy would fly over for SG Ball games, then later played 40 matches for the Bondi Junction club at under-20 level.
After four years in the Roosters’ system, he came home ahead of the 2019 season.
Pompey has steadily progressed at the Warriors, before hitting new heights this season.
Looking ahead, he believes their second-half revival against Canberra will do wonders for long-term belief.
“It will give us a big boost of confidence that we have a good side this year,” said Pompey. “If we can build on those combinations that we have, we will [go] a long way.”
He said the team never stopped believing last Saturday, even when camped on their own line with only three minutes left, trailing 31-28.
“Everyone found that belief that we can do it as a team. Building on the back of that, everyone was just hyped and keen to play and throw the footy around. We ended up with the six again and it helped us get to the tryline.”