Luke Jenkins wins Player of the Year

Nick Guthrie, Daily Liberal - 10 Sep 2016

LEADER OF THE PACK: Luke Jenkins capped of another stellar season with Dubbo CYMS by winning the two major individual awards at the Group 11 presentation night. Photo: BELINDA SOOLE

CYMS stalwart Luke Jenkins was the toast of Group 11 on Friday night, picking up two of the major prizes at the annual presentation night.

Jenkins, who played his first Group 11 senior grand final in 1998, was awarded the prestigious Whitney’s Jewellers Player of the Year prize while he was also awarded the Referee’s Player of the Year after another stellar season.

Jenkins led the Fishies to an unbeaten minor premiership as well as a grand final spot, showing up a number of players who were only learning to walk when he was cutting his teeth at the Narromine Jets early in his career.

Jenkins received the award from former Australian representative Luke Bailey and credited a lot of his success to his CYMS teammates.

“I think everybody appreciates individual awards but in 90% of the times these awards reflect the teams and clubs you’re a part of,” Jenkins said.

“Everyone likes getting awards like this but for a lot of people it’s not the priority, that’’s things like playing well and not letting the boys down.”

Jenkins joined the Fishies in 2001 and has been a mainstay ever since, with Sunday his twelfth grand final in green and white.

After making a name for himself as a hooker Jenkins spent time in the halves in recent times before finding a home at lock.

His organisational ability and ball playing is a big aspect of CYMS’ play and one of the major reasons behind the club’s success.

He credited the professionalism of the CYMS club as one of the big things which helps him play each year.

But, there’s no doubt Jenkins has played a role in developing that elite feel around the club as he is more often than not the first one at training and pushes himself arguably more than anyone else.

“The attitude of the players is the most pleasing thing,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are or how good you are, everyone is on the same page. I would find it hard to play for any other club who isn’t this professional and not as committed as ours.”

CYMS dominance of Group 11 in recent years has led them to be club that is either loved or loathed and Jenkins is well aware of that.

“We cop a fair bit of criticism and people say we go out an poach players and stuff like that but if you look at our team there’s probably 10 or 11 players who played their first senior game with CYMS,” he said.

“We have lured some players but a lot of those were playing reserve grade somewhere else we haven’t stole stars, they’ve come into our club and we’ve made them stars.”