MINUTES after claiming his first premiership, Jack Cogger couldn't help but dream of winning another.
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The departing Penrith playmaker, who played the last 29 minutes of the Panthers' incredible 26-24 win over Brisbane on Sunday, is joining Newcastle on a three-year deal from next season.
The 26-year-old was still coming to terms with Penrith's "unbelievable" comeback, which secured a third consecutive title, after the on-field presentation at Accor Stadium but said his aspirations for the coming seasons would mirror his 2023 achievement.
"The whole idea of wanting to go there was to win," Cogger told the Newcastle Herald moments after accepting his premiership ring.
"I learnt how to win at this club, and the Knights had a pretty good season.
"Hopefully I can add a little bit to that and we can come get one of these as well."
A back-up half for Penrith, playing 13 games, Cogger will arrive at the Knights later this year for pre-season training with a newfound confidence and revived desire to further his NRL career.
The Toukley Hawks junior spent two seasons in England before joining Penrith, following stints at Canterbury where played 22 games and Newcastle where he debuted and made 20 appearances.
After a year spent working alongside the game's best halves in Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, Cogger hopes to bring all he's learned back to the Knights.
"I'll be trying to take as much as I can," he said. "Wherever I go in my career, I'll be forever thankful for this club and opportunity."
Coming off a premiership-winning season at the now three-time premiers, Cogger is sure to push incumbent Knights halves Jackson Hastings and Tyson Gamble for a spot in the team come round one next year.
A Knights junior rep player, Cogger has never lost his affinity for the club despite his 2018 departure after the club signed experienced halfback Mitchell Pearce.
He was excited by the team's late run to the finals and 10-game winning streak.
"I watch a lot of footy, and I've still got a lot of good mates there," he said.
"It was so good just to see them, obviously there was some hard times back when I was there, experience the town getting behind them.
"I was just so happy for my mates, more than anything, and hopefully I get to be part of something special there next year too. But for now, I'll just savour this one."
Thrown into the game in the 51st minute after Luai succumbed to the shoulder injury he had returned from a week earlier, Cogger played first-receiver for much of his stint with Cleary essentially shifting to five-eighth.
Cogger had 20 touches but crucially didn't overplay his hand as Cleary stepped up to engineer the biggest comeback in grand final history.
"We change the way we play a little bit, it frees Nathan up to run a little bit more when I'm on," he said.
"The bigger the moment, the better he gets. And he waits for that, he loves that."
"It's unbelievable."
A Central Coast product whose dad Trevor played 161 games for Western Suburbs Magpies, Cogger said the victory was a dream come true.
"It's pretty unbelievable," he said.
"I didn't know if I would play much of a part.
"But I got a few minutes and obviously we were behind at the time, so to come and contribute to what we did, to a comeback victory, I'm lost for words.
"It's going to take a couple of days for this to soak in."
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