Francis Manuleleua's family expected him to remain a halfback, but he later had to switch to the back row as he grew taller, his older brother Sam said.
Manuleleua moved from New Zealand to Penrith in 2023, hoping the club would help him develop as a player.
"He thought Penrith was going to make him a better player," Sam Manuleleua told foxsports.com.au.
Manuleleua admired Adam Reynolds growing up and wanted to understand how top halfbacks managed games.
Penrith's Nathan Cleary offered a chance to learn from one of the NRL's leading players.
"I think he chose that in a way where he'll be improving as a player and as he was a half, he had Nathan Cleary at the club (which was amazing)."
Sam said his brother hoped to learn from Cleary, though that plan did not work out.
"He thought he'd try and go under his wing and see what he's like … but it didn't work out."
"We always thought he was going to be a half, but then he started growing a bit too long," Sam added.
"I don't think he thought that he would be a back rower, but he had to transition into that."