Manly have moved to shut down the Knights’ bid for Reuben Garrick, by offering him a bumper four-year deal, which includes the promise of a positional switch.
The Daily Telegraph reported Manly moved quickly after the Knights tried to get Garrick released from the final year of his contract in 2023 to play fullback, so that Kalyn Ponga could switch to five-eighth.
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov told The Daily Telegraph the club had no desire to release Garrick given his contribution and importance to the team.
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“The club sees Reuben as a real leader,” Mestrov told The Daily Telegraph.
“We have a very good group of players that can vie for the top four year on year and we want him to be a leader in this group moving forward.
“He is a quality human being and a professional. From a cultural point he is also a very important player.”
Garrick reportedly has no desire to keep playing on the wing, after filling in for the injured Tom Trbojevic at fullback in 2022, which explains the Knights interest in making him their No.1.
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With Trbojevic Manly’s fullback for the foreseeable future, Mestrov revealed Garrick will be offered a chance to move to the centres in a bid to get his hands on the ball more over the course of his new deal.
“We’ve offered him a strong four year deal which would match any offer the Knights give him,” Mestrov told The Daily Telegraph.
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“He wants to play fullback and obviously with Tom at Manly he can’t do that.
“However our offer is with the intention of playing Garrick at centre. He will play in the centres. He played all his junior representative football at centre.
“He is also an amazing goal-kicker which adds to the need to keep him.”
