THEY  are the fearless young bulls who have been handed the task of ensuring the Sea Eagles remain a premiership force in 2014.

Welcome to the big time, Josh Starling and James Hasson.

The two props are in contention to replace departed old heads Brent Kite and ­George Rose in the engine room - and both can't wait to rip in.

The pair have impressed during an intense pre-season at Narrabeen's Sydney Academy of Sport and know opportunities will present themselves over the coming months.

"I am ready to step up. The chance to play regular first grade is why I joined the club,'' Starling said.

"As much as I enjoyed my time at Souths, I was behind the pecking order a bit and we didn't have many injuries, so I played a fair bit of NSW Cup.

"The boys have made me feel very welcome, I just need to keep working hard so I am in Tooves' (coach Geoff Toovey) selection thoughts for round one."

Hasson, who was 18th man in last season's NRL grand final, also wants to be his own man. He was quick to state he is no carbon copy of Kite or Rose, instead keen to forge his own identity.

"We won't be putting any pressure on ourselves, what those blokes have done before is their business," he said. "All we can do is go out there and do our best.

"It's exciting. We've had many long days in the sun but we all know the end goal is in sight.

"The club has signed a number of young guys to play in the front row, which is great. We're all working hard every chance we get and pushing each another to the limit.

"It is a very professional club. Some of the guys have been here a long time and are used to success.

"We have bought into that culture and want to leave our own mark each week."

Starling and Hasson are tipped to feature in next Friday's trial against Cronulla at Remondis Stadium.

Andrew Prentice
Manly Daily

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/starling-and-hasson-relishing-time-in-spotlight/story-fngr8iii-1226815154663

 

The pundits are prattling on about our ageing roster but we'll probably end up with one of the youngest forward packs in the league.

 

I'm only on my article plates so I need all of the practice that I can get.