Penrith Panthers fullback Caleb Aekins has been touted as a player with enormous talent and potential in recent years and ever since his grounbreaking 2018 campaign, he has enjoyed nothing but an upward trajectory.
The 2018 Player of the Year burst onto the scene as a livewire no.1 with an elusive ball running ability and uncanny knack to break out of would-be tacklers.
He was a key part of the Panthers successful 2018 season in the NSW Cup (now Canterbury Cup NSW), which saw them finish second on the competition ladder and reach the Preliminary Final.
Aekins was crowned Player of the Year after finishing with over 4300m, 111 tackle-breaks, four tries, six line-breaks and six line-break assists.
His stunning individual performance against the Wyong Roos in Round 13 was arguably his best of the season, recording a mammoth 327m, one try-assist, one line-break, two line-break assists and 10 tackle-breaks.
He represented NSW Residents that same year, helping them to a 36-20 over their Queensland counterparts, before earning a record-breaking NRL debut with the Panthers just a few weeks later. He ran for an incredible 302m – the most by any player on debut in NRL history.
He now has 11 first-grade games to his name, which includes four appearances in 2020 having filled in for the injured Dylan Edwards more than admirably.
