Danny Levi has declared his desire to be a long-term hooking option for Canberra as he prepares to play for his fifth club in the space of five seasons.
Levi has returned to the NRL on a two-year deal with the Raiders, offering him a second shot at the big time.
A New Zealand Test hooker as recently as 2017, Levi left Newcastle and moved to Manly at the end of 2019.
His stay with the Sea Eagles lasted just one season, and he was eventually picked up by Brisbane midway through 2021.
That short-term deal expired months later, leaving Levi to relocate – along with his wife Kimberly and young daughter Nylah – to Huddersfield in the English Super League.
An option arose to move back to Australia with Canberra last season, and while it was delayed his Raiders deal should offer the stability he has long craved.
“It’s tough,” Levi said.
“I am very lucky, I have a really supportive family. That has always been my concern after moving my daughter and my missus.
“They’ve been rock solid, and are always in my corner and are backing me. Wherever I go they are always going to be backing me.
“But I would like to lock something down a bit more long-term and get them set up, and let my daughter make some friends she gets to see for more than a year.”
Through it all, Levi has been adamant he belongs in the NRL.
He started at No.9 in both of Canberra’s trials, and is battling it out with Zac Woolford and Tom Starling for that jersey or a spot on the bench against North Queensland in round one.
The 27-year-old is confident he is a better player than the one that last featured in the NRL with Brisbane in 2021.
He started for Samoa through their run to last year’s World Cup final before missing their last two games for a funeral, and also featured in the Challenge Cup final with Huddersfield.
“My goal was always to get back to the NRL,” Levi said.
“I felt like I belong in the NRL. I just have to have the confidence in myself, and I do.
“I have a two-year deal here so I would love to try and impress the club and make a bit of a name for myself.
“I am getting on now, getting older.
“It’s time for me to step up and be a consistent NRL player.”
