Casey McLean is reaping the rewards of choosing a career in league over rugby union as he comes to grips with his new-found stardom as one of the NRL's most lethal centres.
McLean has not even played two full seasons, but has already crammed a lot in to a short space of time.
The centre scored a record four tries in his first Test appearance for New Zealand in 2024 and has quickly developed into Stephen Crichton's long-term replacement at Penrith.
He then made his State of Origin debut off the bench in this year's series opener to become the youngest NSW debutant since Payne Haas (2019).
"What we love about Casey (is) he takes everything in his stride - still rocks in with a sleepy head everyday, but once he gets on the field he turns into a different beast," said Panthers captain and Blues teammate Nathan Cleary.
