By the way, that was Eddie Hemmings, the long-time Super League commentator, not Eddie Hemmings, the rotund former off-spinner who played 16 cricket Tests for England in the 1980s.

Unsurprisingly, given that Young was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and lived in the Old Dart for the first 19 years of his life, Hemmings' comments went down like a lead balloon, attracting fierce criticism from a number of sources, and an official response from the English Rugby Football League.

Without wanting to excuse Hemmings' ignorance, there were certain mitigating circumstances.

Firstly, Young played just two games for Huddersfield in Super League - one in 2019 and one in 2020 - before he moved to the other side of the world to join the Newcastle Knights.

And in the lead-up to this year's World Cup, Young stated a number of times that he hoped to represent Jamaica at the tournament, alongside his brother.

The point being that Young is anything but a household name in England.

He is far more likely to be recognised walking the streets of Newcastle, NSW, than he is in Newcastle, Northumberland.

That situation could change quickly, however, judging by the 21-year-old's spectacular international debut for England in Saturday's 50-0 win against Fiji in Salford. The towering winger scored a try and dominated the headlines, earning high praise from England coach Shaun Wane.

"Overall it was a great first game for him," Wane said.

England halfback George Williams, the former Canberra Raiders playmaker, was even more effusive, declaring: "He's a freak of nature - big, strong, fast."

Wane indicated Young was a genuine option for England's World Cup opener against Samoa this weekend.

And while Knights officials must be delighted that their only player at the World Cup looks set to receive some game time, and gain priceless experience, on such a big stage, there is a flip side.

Young, who has a year to run on his contract with Newcastle, could spend the next month showcasing his talents in a prominent shop window.

People who have never previously heard of him might soon be very familiar with the 200-centimetre, 107-kilogram flanker who rates as one of the fastest players in the NRL.

People such as English rugby union talent scouts.

It's hard to imagine Young would be in any hurry to return to the Super League.

As he explained in an interview last week, he has "never really looked back" since making the move Down Under, where he is thriving thanks to the next-level professionalism.

Young added that "I love it in Newcastle in the NRL", which augurs well for the Knights' hopes of retaining him.

But if, over the coming weeks, he was to catch the attention of English rugby union powerbrokers, suddenly Newcastle could find themselves fighting outside their weight division.

If reports are accurate that former Parramatta try machine Semi Radradra is earning $1 million a year to play for Bristol Bears in the English Premiership, it gives some idea of Young's potential earning capacity.

Throw in the possibility of representing his country, in front of 80,000-strong crowds at Twickenham, and it's a reminder that perhaps Knights fans should enjoy Dom Young while they can.