He's delighted to be back in the red and white, and Marcus Beattie hopes he can play a key role in the Wolves charging up the ladder.
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The speedster has returned to the Illawarra after spending some time overseas, playing his first game of 2022 in the Wollongong side's 1-1 draw with competition leaders Manly last week.
It was the Wolves' fourth successive stalemate, all valuable points as they look to improve their position of ninth on the NSW Men's NPL table. They are keen to pick up all three points against Rockdale Illinden at WIN Stadium on Friday night, which Beattie believes can kick-start a charge towards the top five.
"For me, there's an opportunity to really crack in and go from there,'' the 26-year-old said. ''It's been a bit tough for the lads at times, but hopefully I can spark a bit of energy into the boys and get some good results by the end of the year and bounce into next year.
"We've still got five games left I think, so there's 15 potential points right there.
''The team coming fourth are 12 points away, so as long as there's hope we'll keep pushing - starting this week with Rockdale."
Beattie originally headed to the United Kingdom with the intent of trying to play football. However, his visa situation didn't pan out. Instead, he spent time travelling through the UK and Canada, before recently returning to Australia.
Beattie has worked hard in recent weeks to build his agility and endurance, key aspects of his game. He has been described by Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire as an "energiser bunny", a title he's happy to embrace.
"It's good to be back. Obviously I know a lot of the lads there and as soon as I knew I was coming back, there was nowhere else I wanted to be,'' Beattie said. ''And being under Luke the past few years, there's really no other coach in the NPL that compares.
"The boys are giving me a bit of stick about it [energiser bunny tag], but for me, it's just part of my game now. I try to make sure I'm the fittest out there and if I can keep moving and running around for 90 minutes, and it can create opportunities for other lads, then I'm happy to play that role. It's about doing your job in the team."
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