Ben Blackmore is hoping he’s shown he’s good enough to secure a regular Super League start.
But the 20-year-old winger knows that with Jermaine McGillvary and Luke George waiting in the wings, he faces some fierce competition.
Blackmore marked his Super League debut by scoring two well-taken first-half tries in the Giants’ 48-32 home triumph over former club Castleford Tigers.
It was a result which also helped the Giants return to the top of the Super League XVIII table ahead of tonight’s St Helens-Wigan clash, when a win for the Warriors would move them a point clear with five games of the regular season remaining.
But Blackmore admitted the way his side let the Tigers back into the contest in the second half, meant he wasn’t planning any mass celebrations.
“That first half couldn’t have gone any better for me or the team,” said Blackmore, whose side led 36-4 at the break before Castleford fought back to reduce the deficit to 36-28 after 65 minutes.
“I absolutely loved it out there, and the help I got from the rest of the boys was fantastic. They supported me all the way.
“And to get those two tries early on made everything feel even better. It was a real dream.
“In contrast, that second half was a bit of a nightmare for all of us.
“You’d think after scoring two tries on my Super League debut I’d be over the moon, but with the way things went in the second half I’ve got really mixed emotions.”
But he is hoping his performance pleased head coach Paul Anderson.
“I know there are things I still need to work on, but I’d like to think everyone was happy with my first-half performance,” he added.
“With players like Jerry and Luke battling for a spot, I know it’s going to be tough to keep ahead of them.
“But that’s my aim.”
