Ben Trbojevic has quipped that his long-term future at Manly might be in the back row after scoring his maiden NRL try and following it up with a double in the Sea Eagles' win over the Wests Tigers.
And given the way Manly's roster is beginning to take shape next year, his light-hearted jest might soon become a reality.
Trbojevic appeared in just his sixth NRL game in Saturday's 36-22 win at Brookvale Oval and capped the occasion with a try either side of the halftime break.
The 20-year-old had been forced into the back row after initially being named at centre when Haumole Olakau'atu withdrew on gameday with fever and Josh Schuster picked up a calf complaint earlier in the week.
It was the first time Trbojevic had played alongside older brothers Jake and Tom at Manly's home ground, as the latter made his return from a four-week lay-off with a knee injury.
When Ben scored his first try, the first Manly player to charge over and celebrate was a beaming Jake.
"I think that's the fastest Jake's ever run," Ben joked.
"He was pretty pumped and it was such a cool moment to score my first try in the NRL.
"To see him running over was pretty special. I was just going out there to try and focus on my defence and I take the try as a bonus.
"I found out about an hour before kick-off, Haumole was a bit sick and Harps (Morgan Harper) came in and I went to back row.
"I've played there before and I probably prefer centre but after today I don't mind back row, I'm happy with either."
Back row might well be his future role given Manly are set to lose Kieran Foran to the Gold Coast on a two-year deal.
The veteran playmaker's move to the Titans will allow Schuster to move to five-eighth and would leave a vacant spot in the back row, with the youngest Trbojevic brother a candidate to fill the void.
Manly coach Des Hasler once again dodged questions about Foran's contract stand-off with the Sea Eagles and took a defensive approach when pressed about the New Zealand international's future.
"We don't discuss retention in this forum," Hasler said.
