Lachlan Miller is ready to seize the best opportunity of his fledgling NRL career but the new Knights fullback is not getting ahead of himself.
He might be 28 years old, but the Coffs Harbour product happily admits he is far from the complete package.
The former Cronulla player, signed on a three-year deal late last month, made his first appearance in Newcastle's 36-14 trial loss to Parramatta on Friday night.
After a rusty initial outing, Miller is prepared to be patient as the side develops in the opening rounds.
Part of a new-look spine and having only played seven top-grade games himself, he knows that it will likely take time to gel with the key players around him.
"One day at a time," Miller said of his mentality, having joined Newcastle the week before their first trial and a month out from their season-opener next Friday.
"I'm a bit older now, I think if I was a bit younger I'd be a bit rattled and a bit nervous.
"I've played footy for a little while and this year, I just feel relaxed and I've got good [support] behind me with my family and also our playing group."
A former Australian sevens player, Miller is no stranger to high-pressure situations.
But set to have just a few weeks of training at the Knights before taking on the Warriors next week, he could face a baptism of fire from the New Zealand side in what is their first season-opener on home soil since 2019.
However after striking early bonds, including with Kalyn Ponga - the man he is replacing in the No.1 jersey - Miller is confident he can quickly find his feet.
In fact, he believes the spine of Ponga, new halfback Jackson Hastings and hooker Jayden Brailey won't take too long at all to get firing.
"I had that be-all or end-all [mentality when I was younger]," Miller said.
"But now, opportunities are going to come, I've just got to take them.
"If I stay calm through this process, and as I said the group I've got behind me in family and this playing group, we can do something special."
In his seven NRL games at Cronulla last year, Miller started four at fullback, three on the wing and once came off the bench.
For Newtown in NSW Cup, he was fullback on 11 occasions and five-eighth for five.
But at the Knights he has a genuine opportunity to become the long-term custodian due to Kalyn Ponga's move to the halves.
Miller said the chance to help facilitate Ponga's positional switch had been a motivating factor to join Newcastle.
"If you get that opportunity to play with someone like that, and to go along with that - the other spine members Jackson and Jayden, it's pretty exciting right," he said.
"If we can work it out, it's going to be pretty hard to stop.
"Hopefully we can in the next few weeks."
Miller said he and his young family - he has a 20-month-old son - had now settled in Newcastle and he was feeling more comfortable at the club after the shift from Sydney.
Opening up about the move, he revealed he had been in talks with the Knights for months before he formed part of a player-swap with lower-grader Max Bradbury.
In a somewhat awkward situation, Miller arrived at the Knights last month the day before young gun Kade Dykes, who Cronulla planned to play at fullback, tore his ACL.
"I first spoke to these guys in early November when the deadline was up," he said.
"And then it was a hard decision for myself.
"At the start, I was unsure and I really wanted to be loyal to Fitzy and the Sharks but in the end it was probably the best decision for my family and myself.
"I felt really bad for Kade, he's obviously a good young kid and I'm sure he'll bounce back. I'm sure the Sharks have got a lot of depth there."
Miller said the thought of having only a few weeks to prepare with his new side was initially daunting but he had been welcomed with open arms by the Knights.
"It was a little bit nerve-racking, but obviously from my previous coaches I've been put in pretty good stead by them," he said.
"And then coming here with the coaches I've got now, and also the players around me, they've been really receptive.
"Kalyn's helped a lot and that receptiveness from the group has really made the transition easy. I've felt like we're getting there, it's just a little bit more to work on."
Miller commended Ponga's leadership.
"He's really good. He's actually really easy to talk to in and around the club. Off the field, we went for coffee and that. He's really keen to make this work and to have a good year."
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