Parramatta star Bevan French insists he wants to play fullback long-term despite being resigned to the wing so long as co-captain Clint Gutherson is at the NRL club.
French has long been crowned as the Eels' long-term No.1 by coach Brad Arthur, however he is currently their third-choice custodian behind Gutherson and Jarryd Hayne.
Happy on the wing: Bevan French.
Photo: AAP
And that sits well with the 22-year-old flyer.
"I've sort of accepted that a while ago. I've said before that I'm still only quite young and still got a lot of learning to do with my body as well, trying to get the physical side of the things of the game," he said.
"I'm only 22 so hopefully I've still got ten or so years left in the game."
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Gutherson was arguably their best player at fullback last year before tearing his ACL, and immediately regained his spot upon his return this season.
One week later he was appointed co-captain alongside Tim Mannah.
"I've accepted now that Gutho, especially after being captain, is going to be the main pick for fullback, as you'd expect with the form he's been in and the impact he's had when he's come back," French said.
However, he remains determined to prove he is worthy of a crack at the spot.
"I definitely don't want to finish my career knowing that I didn't have a good crack at it. But for now, I'm still only quite young. It's not in the back of my mind at the moment to be honest," he said.
French has found some form despite the Eels' lowly position on the ladder, scoring two tries in his past two games after coming back from a shoulder injury that has plagued his start to the campaign.
Ahead of Friday's clash against Canterbury, he revealed he is still not at peak fitness.
"But it's getting better each week. I'm still getting the injections heading into the games. I'm definitely feeling more confident each week than what I was a few weeks ago," he said.
AAP
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