FOR Kevin Penny, stepping out at The Halliwell Jones Stadium against St George Illawarra Dragons on Friday night will not just see the winger come full circle, but reach the pinnacle of a rollercoaster career so far.

Penny broke on to the Super League scene with Wolves in 2007, named in the Dream Team after a prolific try-scoring debut season as a 19-year-old.

But by 2012 he was working full time as a courier and playing for Swinton in the Championship after inconsistent spells at Widnes, Harlequins and Wakefield landed him in the rugby league wilderness.

Now back at Warrington and on the verge of a World Club Series appearance, the former Priestley College student admits he has certainly done things the hard way.

“The journey I’ve been on so far, to turn all that around and step out on the field and play a World Club Series game will be unbelievable,” said the 27-year-old.

“It was tough. I left college and came straight into the first team so never really had to have a ‘proper job’ if you like.

“Then to be told you’ve not got a team before pre-season starts, there’s nowhere else you can really go other than the Championship.

“When you’ve got a kid and mortgage to pay for it’s quite frightening. It was good in a difficult way. I’ve kind of done things the hard way.

“I was working full time and playing as well. Fortunately one of my neighbours let me do a bit of labouring for him and I ended up being a courier, delivering parcels and stuff.

“So there’ll be a few faces in Warrington that’ll recognise me from delivering them a parcel!”

Penny, who only took up the sport aged 16, was offered a way back into Super League by Tony Smith, the same coach who released him in 2010, on a dual-contract last season.

He showed glimpses of the talent that earned him a place in Smith’s 2007 Great Britain train-on squad before he was ruled out for the second half of the campaign with a knee injury, cutting short the speedster’s chance to show the improvements he had made in positional and defensive play.

“Being on the sideline and watching the boys play, seeing the way Warrington play, made me hungry to get back,” said Penny, a former Padgate High School pupil.

“I was certainly confident I could get back to where I was, but devastated I’d worked so hard to get in the team and it was cut short by injury.

“I could see the way Warrington were playing would suit my style of play also, so it kept me on my toes.

“It didn’t work out like that in the end, but it gave me that hunger and determination to get back in for pre-season and do it all again.

“It wasn’t just about going away and looking at myself. I watched other players in the team and what they did to see if I could add that into my game.

“Obviously we all know how good Joel Monaghan is, what kind of things he does and what sort of player he is, so I could take some of that for my game.

“But Rhys Evans spent a lot of time on the wing last year. He probably isn’t classed as an out-and-out winger, but his defensive positioning and the way he handles stuff was incredible.

“That was something I really watched closely and tried to put into my game. I’ve had to break it down to see what’s been an acceptable level of performance to get a place the next week.”

He says the likes of Evans and Monaghan were happy to help.

“That’s what being in a team is all about, if you’re struggling with something then don’t go through it on your own.

“That’s part of the journey I’ve been on as well, not just here but life in general.

“If you feel down about something you go and talk about it; if you’ve got a problem the only way to solve it is to talk about it.

“So yeah, we have a chat and sort things out together – it’s a good environment we’ve got here.”

Penny found that support in his family and friends after originally being cast aside by Wolves.

Along with five-year-old son Jaden, he says Friday night is as much for those he once trod the Wilderspool stands with.

“It will be a huge honour for myself and for my family to be a part of this game,” explained Penny.

“My little boy doesn’t stop going on about it. He can’t wait for it – he’s obsessed. We bought him the Warrington kit for Christmas and it took two weeks before we got it off him!

“He’s got ‘Penny’ on the back.

“I used to watch games with my auntie and step dad occasionally. To be honest I used to go because the rest of my mates did.

“There was always a few punch-ups back in the day so they were good to watch and I enjoyed the atmosphere. Warrington fans are unbelievable, wherever they go they always make a racket.

“But I’ve got a real good family behind me, some good friends who helped me out so much. They played a massive part in getting me back to where I am today.

“Obviously I’ve had to do some things myself and do a bit of learning myself.

“I do take a lot of pride in that. It’s been a good journey so far and it’s certainly not finished yet.”