Hayze Perham still says he didn’t achieve too much during a “really short stint” as a schoolboy recruit in Penrith’s prizewinning junior ranks.
Unbeknownst to him, the Maori All Stars fullback did even need to convince new Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo that he had an NRL No.1 in the making.
Even if he had to wait eight years to sign him.
Perham’s 2023 campaign started in reasonable fashion in Rotorua on Saturday, with his fleet footwork and mostly sound clean-up work at the back making up for a couple of errors against the Indigenous All Stars.
He has spent most of the summer training at the back for Ciraldo’s new-look Canterbury outfit ahead of what looms as the rookie coach’s first big selection call.
While Jake Averillo had been expected by most to start the season at fullback after an impressive end to 2022, Perham’s fitness, communication and defensive chops have him tipped to add to the 16 NRL games he’s tallied in four years across stints with the Panthers, Warriors and Eels.
“I had a really short stint at Penrith when I was about 15, 16 years old,” Perham, now 23, says of his decision to link with the Bulldogs on a two-year deal.
“Cam was under 20s at the time so I wasn’t coached by him or anything but I was around those teams and he knew me.
“It definitely surprised me that he’d been keeping an eye on me and had me on his radar since back then.
“That was pretty humbling too, knowing that someone of his high stature was onto me. He coached at Penrith for years and years and saw a lot of young kids. And coming up when I was there, I hadn’t really done much at that point either.
Hayze Perham front and centre of the Maori All Stars haka in Rotorua on Saturday.Credit:NRL Imagery
“I was talking to a few clubs last year but as soon as Cameron Ciraldo made up his mind that he was going to Canterbury, he came on the radar pretty quickly.
“As soon as that came up there wasn’t really any more thought to it. I loved my time at Parramatta but for this point of my career Canterbury was my best option.”
After being scouted at 15 by then-Penrith recruiter Mark Hughes, Perham’s first trip across the ditch was short-lived due to homesickness.
As well as Canterbury’s interest, Perham’s six games with Parramatta last year presented the chance to join his old housemate Isaiah Papalii at the Wests Tigers in 2023. But rekindling that eight-year relationship with Ciraldo at Belmore has the potential to bear serious fruit already in Perham’s eyes.
Hayze Perham at training with the Bulldogs.Credit:Bulldogs Media
“Everyone’s seen the work Cam’s done at Penrith,” Perham said.
“And I don’t think they’d be where they are, as such a great club, without his influence out there over every single year.
“And I think everyone can already see what he’s doing at the Bulldogs and that he’s building something really special there too.
“So for him to have that faith in me and to give me that crack at fullback and in the NRL squad to start with, I can’t thank him enough for this.
“There’s been a lot of hard work over the pre-season from everyone and hopefully everyone will get to see it when the season starts.”
