Reuben Garrick's move to the centres has been put on ice as the Manly star prepares to stay on the wing for the entire NRL season.
Garrick will run out on the left wing in the Sea Eagles' season opener against Canterbury on Saturday, four months after a signing a new four-year deal with the club.
Part of those negotiations included a preference to make a switch to centre, a position Garrick grew up playing, and where he can get his hands on the ball more often.
Any chance of that happening early in the season has largely been scuttled, however, by Jason Saab's recovery from a ruptured ACL, which leaves Manly short on wingers early in the year.
There had been speculation that once Saab returned on the wing the door would open for Garrick to move to centre, but the 25-year-old said he was not expecting that to eventuate.
"Our best 13 is with me on the wing here at the moment, so that's what we'll do," Garrick , a winger in 71 of his 91 games with Manly, told AAP.
"Eventually, down the track we'll see, but I'm just doing what's right for the team and what's right for us to win and be a successful team this year.
"A lot of the boys have the same mentality this year. It's team first, that's what we're about."
Asked whether he expected to spend the whole season on the wing, Garrick confirmed that "100 per cent" was the case.
Manly currently have more depth in their centres in Brad Parker, Tolu Koula and Morgan Harper, while Garrick is the only fit and experienced winger at the club, with Christian Tuipulotu still finding his way on the right.
A centre when he played NSW Cup with St George Illawarra in 2018, Garrick has not played there for Manly since a mid-season game in his debut year of 2019.
Tom Trbojevic's injuries have, however, allowed him to play 19 games of his four years at the club at fullback, where he has been able to be more involved in attack.
While Garrick would still like to move back to centre eventually, he does now feel at home on the wing.
"You're still always learning. There are always things you learn and improve on," he said.
"With the intricacies of it, the more you develop as a player, you get more used to playing first grade, then you know what to expect.
"The hardest bit is getting used to first grade each week, rather than the positional stuff."
