BY CURTIS WOODWARD

Young Sydney Rooster Connor Watson stole the show at the Auckland Nines as he led the Bondi club to their maiden Auckland Nines title. There’s no disputing this.

Watson was outstanding.

The question is: how much do you take out of the weekend ahead of the season proper?

All you can really do is put a line under a player’s name and see how he takes that form into the trials and the early rounds. By June, the Nines will be long forgotten.

There were plenty of other good players at the Nines including a gun Panther who looks set for a breakout year.

He was great last year.

But we’re talking a real breakout year.

Waqa Blake. You shouldn’t just put a line under his name, you should be circling it and putting him in your New South Wales and Australian teams. That’s how much talent he has.

And it wasn’t just the tries he scored on the weekend. Blake has never looked fitter. He doesn’t just look like a good footballer, he looks like the NRL’s next big star.

The Fijian-born outside back, who spent time in Western Australia, was humble about being picked in the Nines team of the tournament.

“It’s something big for me, especially at this tournament,” Blake said.

“I put it down to the boys, they made me look good, they did all the hard work and I just had to finish it.”

CONGRATS BOYS! Waqa Blake and Moses Leota have both been selected in the Team of the Tournament. #pantherpride 🐾 #NRLAKL9s pic.twitter.com/WcdblfeEuC

— Penrith Panthers 🏆🏆🏆 (@PenrithPanthers) February 5, 2017

Waqa Blake's form today:

🔥🔥🔥#NRLAKL9s#NRL pic.twitter.com/t3ajsfyeI3

— NRL (@NRL) February 5, 2017

That’s very good of you Waqa but get ready for a fair bit more press in 2017.

While names like Cartwright, Moylan and Cleary are all the rage at the foot of the mountains, Blake is happy to let his footy do the talking.

“We’re a young squad and I think a lot of teams didn’t think we’d come over and give it a red hot crack,” he added.

“I’m very proud of the boys, especially the young boys with a lot of them playing six games.

“They really stepped up and that’s why I reckon we got there in the end.”

There’s no doubt Blake was good in 2016 but the sky is the limit for a focused, streamlined Waqa Blake.

He’ll have a fight on his hands to nail down a starting spot with Dean Whare and Peta Hiku coming back from long-term injuries but at only 22, Anthony Griffin would be crazy to leave him out of his team.

If Blake can stay fit, there’s no reason why he can’t reach his full potential.

Who’s to say Blake won’t be hanging a few different coloured jerseys on his wall at the end of 2017?

@woodward_curtis