If Clint Gutherson had his way at age 20, the outside back never would've landed in Parramatta, instead spending the entirety of his career at the Manly Sea Eagles, his junior club.
Instead, he's one of the game's most consistent fullbacks, a one-time State of Origin player fresh off his maiden grand final appearance, and no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Regardless of how high 'King Gutho' is flying now, there was a time where he only wanted to fly with the Bird Gang, making his NRL debut for Manly in the final regular season match of 2013, one of two debutants for the Sea Eagles that day.
The other one? He goes by the name Jake Trbojevic, and snuck onto the bench at late notice in jersey No. 21.
The duo played one singular NRL game together at Manly, their debut, and wouldn't line up alongside one another again until 2020, as Gutherson pulled on his maiden New South Wales jersey alongside Jake, his tenth appearance in sky blue.
The duo will share the field again on Thursday night, this time opposite one another, as player agent Sam Ayoub recalls delivering Gutherson the distressing news in 2015 - his Sea Eagles' career was over.
โHe was devastated, yes he was,โ Ayoub told News Corp.
โI recall bringing him and his dad over for coffee. I wanted to meet them because I knew telling him would be a devastating blow. And there was a level of disappointment.
โI know for a fact, he would have loved to have had his whole career at Manly but it wasn't to be and decisions were made. He wasn't dirty (at Manly).
โThey are tough situations and tough discussions. When you give bad news to people, you also want to be able to give them good news.
โParramatta was the most anxious to try and get him so the positives were that a couple clubs were interested.
โGutho was obviously upset but he is a โroll-with-it' type of guy. I will use these words respectfully โ he is an old school throwback. He said: โIf that's what it is then that's what it is'.โ
Congrats on a great #NRL debut @ClintGutherson for the mighty @manlyseaeagles! Killed it!! pic.twitter.com/skZ5BVt5zz
— Zac Bailey (@ZacBailey14) September 8, 2013
The fullback was desperate to remain on the Northern Beaches, and despite signing with a western Sydney club, Gutherson didn't pack a single box.
โHis biggest concern was the amount of travel but he felt comfortable. He gets in the car and makes all his phone calls, has his laughs along the way and before you know it, he's there. It became routine,โ Ayoub said.
โNot long after he joined Parramatta, โGutho' became one of the youngest captains in the game, which is a credit to him. He was 24 years old. That's how highly Parramatta thought of him.
โThey saw his leadership qualities that we have all seen since.โ
He's a figure the Sea Eagles could've desperately used during the 'pride jersey' saga of last year. A leader through and through, the custodian has a way of galvanising his troops, and bringing the playing squad together.
Ayoub knows if Manly had their time again, it would've been a different story.
โManly at the time said they didn't think Clint would force their hand as a centre or fullback. At that time, coming into first grade, they played him on the wing,โ Ayoub continued to News Corp.
โEveryone makes mistakes. To the club's credit, they did come back and acknowledged it was a wrong decision. They did have Brett Stewart there at the time.
โIf we are talking about competitive players, next to Johnathan Thurston, I think โGutho' has been the most competitive player in the game over the last ten years. You just want him in your team every day.โ
