Former Manly captain Jimmy Oates came to Lambton Jaffas this year as one of the class additions to the NPL NNSW competition.
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But most expected the 32-year-old to make his presence felt in defence.
Four games and four wins in, Oates has emerged as a a potent force at No.10 for the defending premiers and champions as he chases elusive silverware.
"I haven't played out of defence for probably 10 years," Oates said.
"I played as a wing-back in my early 20s and growing up and through my teens, I always played higher up.
"I just did a few shooting drills at training in pre-season, and [Jaffas coach David Tanchevski] says, 'I'm going to chuck you up top, you're doing well'."
Tanchevski said Oates had been his most consistent player and his work rate was "phenomenal".
Oates said he was enjoying the move, both up top and to the Jaffas, after relocating to Lake Macquarie with his young family this time last year for work reasons.
He grew up in Manly and played his youth and senior football there either side of stints with the Central Coast Mariners and five years in the UK with League Two club Exeter City and Hereford, who he helped get back to the National League.
He returned to Manly in 2020 after an "awesome experience" studying and playing in England but his hunger for trophies at home has grown.
"It was brutal," he said.
"When I went to the UK, the year after [Manly] won their grand final. That was hard to take. When we came back, we lost the premiership by one goal and then lost the grand final.
"Last year was a tough season. In the UK I had plenty of wins, but not much here. Hopefully we can do it again.
"We're looking good, but I think we're still a little undercooked. We had a relatively short pre-season and not too many games.
"We're definitely in need of getting fitter, so more to come for sure."
Oates was much sought-after in the NPL NNSW after making it clear he wanted a change from commuting to play and train for Manly.
He liked what he saw at the Jaffas last season and he also had ties to the club through former Lambton keeper Brad Swancott.
"I went and saw a few games and I think just the unity in the group," Oates said of what he liked about Jaffas.
"It was also an experienced group. I'd played with a younger team at Manly the last couple of years and I was pretty keen for a change.
"I've got a young family and we were keen to meet people as well, so that all made sense.
"I'd also played with Brad Swancott for a couple of years at Manly and he found out I was coming up, and he was like, 'mate, you've got to come to Jaffas'."
Oates, who works for a company providing spinal surgery equipment, said the NNSW "league feels very competitive".
"For me, the standard and quality of the top teams is very similar," he said of comparing it to the NPL NSW.
"I'd say it's just the depth of the squads and the fitness levels have been the big differences so far.
"It's not too different and hopefully we get some Sydney teams in the cup."
Jaffas beat Weston 2-1 on Sunday with an 89th minute strike from Kale Bradbery. They host Olympic on Saturday in round five.
