Mitch Rein has opened up about the toll his departure from St George Illawarra has taken, revealing he is relieved to be free of the "limitations" the Dragons coaching staff put on the side's sputtering attack.
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Penrith unveiled the two main additions to their 2017 roster, Rein and former North Queensland prop James Tamou, at training on Tuesday. Tamou is the marquee signing, a premiership-winning representative star who will add additional grunt to an impressive young pack. The arrival of Rein occurred late in the piece, as a back-up to Peter Wallace, after the hooker was unable to reach terms with the Dragons. After eight months of fruitless negotiations, Rein was without a club and struggling to to find a home before the Panthers weighed in with a two-year deal.
The Dragons were heavily criticised for their uninspiring attack, with much of the blame going the way of Benji Marshall. Rein, who also copped plenty of flak, revealed he was frustrated by the overly structured style of play employed by coach Paul McGregor.
"I know what I'm capable of and playing there, with all the limitations of what you're allowed to do and what you're not, that's one thing I've noticed coming here, it's a lot more positive," Rein said.
Asked what he meant by limitations, the 26-year-old said: "Just the way the coaches are. You watch games last year and the year before.
"Especially watching Penrith at the back-end of last year, how entertaining the brand of footy they were playing was, it was awesome to watch.
"It's another thing that made the move coming up here a bit more appealing."
Like former teammate Trent Merrin, Rein was one of the Red V's favourite sons, but got stale at the club and ultimately headed to the foot of the mountains for a change.
"If I'm being honest, in the end it began taking its toll," he said.
"[Being told I'm not wanted] only really happened at the Dragons a couple of rounds before the end of the year. I didn't really get time to settle in and worry about what was happening or not happening because it was so late and there wasn't much out there.
"It was disappointing how things ended, definitely. I've got a lot of friends down there but I wasn't really enjoying myself. I definitely needed a change."
While Rein has arrived with little fanfare, there are hopes Tamou's experience can take the Penrith pack to the next level. Tamou has been a regular for the Kangaroos since making his international debut in 2012, but was dropped for the Four Nations campaign. The NSW forward said the snubbing made him more determined to get back into the Australian side.
"I was disheartened not to get picked," Tamou said.
"But at the time we were still up in Townsville, me and the wife and the three kids. Nothing had been moved and if I had been picked I would've went away feeling a bit sick worrying about them. I'm a bit disappointed but that just puts some fire in the belly for next time. Trent Merrin's done the same thing and he's got back into the representative sides. That's obviously a goal for myself, to go to that extra level for Penrith and for myself to get back into those sides."
A serious neck problem almost ended Tamou's career, but the 27-year-old is confident he will see out his four-year deal with Penrith.
"It comes and goes," he said.
"It's that sort of thing where in season it's game by game with the injury. Obviously last year I didn't have any problems, I didn't miss any games with it and I can only feel it getting stronger and better."
