The swiftness of his move may have been a surprise, but Frank Winterstein knew the writing was on the wall at Manly long before he joined Penrith.
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Winterstein was preparing for another season on the outer at the Sea Eagles when the Panthers sent out an SOS to the veteran a week before round one.
Already light on in second-row stocks, disaster struck Penrith when strike weapon Viliame Kikau suffered a knee injury in a pre-season match.
Three weeks on and Winterstein will make his starting debut for the club when they host Melbourne in Bathurst on Saturday.
"Obviously Penrith were after a backrower when Kiks went down. They had a spare spot in their top 30," Winterstein said.
"And I think Manly, from what was going on there, they were looking for an outside back. Things worked out for the best. Everyone's happy and that's the main thing."
Winterstein made five appearances in his one season with Canterbury in 2008 before embarking on a move to the Super League, where he stayed for five years.
He then returned to the NRL with Manly, where he had his best season featuring in 25 matches under Trent Barrett in 2017.
However the Samoan international fell out of favour last year, and he sensed another long season when Des Hasler returned over the summer.
"I had an inkling during pre-season that I wasn't on his radar for a top 17 spot, which is fair enough," Winterstein said.
"Obviously he's got his own squad in his mind that he wants to play.
"Through the trials, when I played in both reserve grade teams, I knew that I was behind the eight-ball there, which is all good."
Winterstein made his club debut for the Panthers in last week's road win over Newcastle, where he scored a crucial try off the bench.
But now he looms as a genuine shot at being a part of Ivan Cleary's best 17, even after the eventual return of Kikau.
"Obviously rugby league is a game of opportunity and when an opportunity came for me to come to Penrith. I definitely was jumping at the bit to get here," he said.
"I definitely think I can add something to this group on and off the field.
"It's a group on the up, and we're super talented across the park. I'll just do my job, wherever Ivan wants to play me, I'll go."
Australian Associated Press
