Reuben Garrick is keen to ensure his 2021 record points breaking season doesn't ‘define’ him.
As the NRL’s leading points scorer last season, Garrick had more records than a JB Hi-Fi store. Some of his feats included:
- being named in the Dally M Team of the Year
- setting a new club record for 'Most Points in a Season' with 334 points from 23 tries and 121 goals.
- becoming the first player to score 20 tries and 100 goals in a premiership season
- breaking the all-time record for most points by a player in the NRL regular season, beating Hazem El Masri’s record of 288 points set in 2004.
- becoming the first player to score more than 300 points in a regular season
- equaling the club record of 30 points in a match against Canterbury
- sitting equal third with Mike Eden and Matthew Ridge for most goals in a match for Manly with 11.
- Tom Trbojevic, Jason Saab and Garrick also became the first trio to score 20 tries or more for the club in the one season. They scored 77 tries between them.
- kicked 121 goals from 148 attempts in 2021 for 81.8% record.
And then there was that magnificent role Garrick played in Manly capturing the NRL 'Try of the Year' award after his superb run from bringing the ball back from the in-goal against the Nth Qld Cowboys in Townsville.
However, for all the accolades, Garrick remains grounded.
“Maybe when I retire from footy, I will probably look back more on it, but I’m the sort of person that once I’ve ticked that box, I’m onto the next thing,’’ Garrick said.
I just can’t do that and rest on my laurels. I don’t want that to define me
Reuben Garrick
“I’ve got higher hopes for our team and myself. Hopefully we can win a premiership at Manly and I want to play some representative footy.
“That’s my goal, it has been since I was five-years-old.”
Sea Eagles Captain Daly Cherry-Evans believes Garrick can go to another level.
“The way he is training, I just feel he is still trying to learn and still trying to improve, which says a lot about him as a person,’’ Cherry-Evans said.
“Considering the year he had last year, the fact that he wants to get better is great for us as a team.
“It shows you where Reuben is at in his career. He is looking at getting better and really test himself as a first grader, so it’s really pleasing to see.”
And of his 23 tries, Garrick found it easy to nominate his favourite. It came in the 50-18 win over the North Qld Cowboys at 4 Pines Park on a night that saw Garrick play full-back with Tom Trbojevic on Origin duty.
“One of my good mates from my junior days, Reece Robson, put in a grubber kick and sprinted through chasing the ball,'' Garrick said.
“I picked it up and stepped him to run 100 metres down the sideline. The hill was going off. To score that try was pretty special.”
