NRL rival blown out of water by monster deal for Manly star

A position switch caveat in a Manly star’s contract tussle is reportedly set to end the saga after a monster offer was put on the table.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Reuben Garrick. Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images.

Newcastle has reportedly been blown out of the water in its pursuit of Manly star Reuben Garrick after the Sea Eagles put a monster offer on the table.

Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov has told The Daily Telegraph the club will not entertain a reported request from the Knights to allow Garrick to leave with a full season still to run on his contract.

Instead, Manly is reported to have made a four-year contract extension offer to hold onto the star goalkicker.

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The offer reportedly comes with a positional switch caveat that will see him move from the wing to the centres.

“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.”

Manly’s monster offer comes after he was reported to have been approached by Newcastle with the potential option of playing in his preferred position as fullback.

The Knights have headhunted Garrick to play in their No. 1 jumper in 2023 — a move that would allow Kalyn Ponga to shift to five-eighth.

Garrick has been stuck playing on the wing and has only played fullback or Manly when superstar Tom Trbojevic has been injured.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Reuben Garrick. Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images.

The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio earlier said Newcastle’s pursuit of Garrick would be a dream scenario for the club.

“I think there’s a huge chance (Garrick goes to Newcastle),” Riccio said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“We all know that once Tom Trbojevic is fit, Reuben Garrick isn’t playing fullback and that’s his end goal as a player.

“Newcastle are offering that position and if that does eventuate, it opens a huge story going into 2023 about Kalyn Ponga moving into five-eighth and becoming their permanent six.

“It’s opened this door and I dare say Kalyn will be training at five-eight on day one.

“No matter if they get Garrick. I really believe this move (to the halves) will happen.

“He will get from November through to March next year to get this combination right.”

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.

“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.”