Robert Jennings insists he still hasn't discovered his best form after shrugging off a stressful summer which saw his NRL future dangle in the air while he prepared for the arrival of his baby daughter.
The 23-year-old flyer will aim to hit the ground running in his Wests Tigers debut against Manly on Saturday, just over three weeks after signing with the joint venture.
After a breakout 2018 - during which he crossed for 19 four-pointers for South Sydney to be the third most prolific try-scorer in the competition - he was forced out of Redfern due to salary cap constraints.
He was in limbo for four months, during which he continued to train with the Rabbitohs in the hope of securing a contract under new coach Wayne Bennett.
But when he couldn't get a deal done, his former Rabbitohs mentor Michael Maguire came knocking and offered him a place at Concord.
"He knew what was going on there (at the Rabbitohs). I sat down with him and I was pretty happy with what was going on here and what he was building," Jennings told AAP.
"At the end of the day I didn't know where my future was. It was pretty tough."
While the western Sydney product and Tongan international isn't prone to worry - he's one of the most laidback characters in the game - at the back of his mind he knew he needed to secure his future with partner Samantha to give birth to a daughter in April.
"It was hard getting up knowing you don't have a contract," Jennings said.
"But that's the type of bloke I am - I don't tend to stress on things a lot. Especially with a pregnant partner, I don't want to put that stress on her.
"She was stressed, she was probably more stressed than me. It was hard but at the end of the day we got through it."
He will start on the wing against the Sea Eagles at Leichhardt Oval, but will likely revert to the centres when skipper and fullback Moses Mbye returns from injury in the next few weeks.
Jennings said he still had improvement in him and felt Maguire was the man to bring it out.
"I'm comfortable Madge can get me to that place," he said.
