The beauty of Dylan Pietsch's rugby career has been his innate ability to adjust to the demands of the modern game.

But the Wiradjuri man's positional play has gone well beyond the norm in a code where specialists thrive in just one jersey number.

While it was not quite conditional of Pietsch re-signing for two more years at the Western Force recently, the former loose forward-turn-winger may hold one more sleight of hand inside his bag of tricks ahead of the beginning of his new contract next year.

After starring in Sydney schoolboy rugby as a thrilling openside flanker before graduating to the fast-paced nature of the seven-a-side game for Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he caused a stir in union circles lining up on the left fringes of the field for the NSW Waratahs in his Super Rugby debut season.

The now 28-year-old who quickly learned to sprint down sidelines to score rather than putting in the upfront grunt work amid the forward pack to set up tries has revealed yet another positional change may be in the offering ahead of his new two-year deal at the Perth side.

Pietsch said there has been internal talk among the Force brains' trust of him lining up at inside centre, a makeshift role that he often employs in the moment of a game - including while playing for the Wallabies Tests from time to time - into a more permanent move.

"It is more about something we'll develop for the Force next year, not this year," he revealed to National Indigenous Times.

Force coach Simon Cron is looking at the bigger picture for Pietsch, a natural ball carrier, which could make the Leeton product capable of playing either on the edges of the ruck, the expanses of the sidelines, or among the midfield of the backline as possibly the most versatile player in Australia.

It comes back to the day when Pietsch debuted for the Wallabies against Wales in 2024 and was told at the team's announcement that his role off the bench was as a utility, a term that he had never encountered before in rugby.

"It is something we've spoken about, moving into inside centre, and to develop that role as well - kind of like adding another tool to my toolbox, I suppose," Pietsch said.

"That is something I am very interested in playing.

"I quite like getting my hands on the ball more and playing at 12 is definitely something we have chatted a bit about."

The transition has been delayed this year amid recovering from a spate of injury blows.

In the breakthrough Test match, where Australia ended a decades-long hoodoo at Johannesburg's Ellis Park to come from 22 points behind South Africa to win 38-22, Pietsch broke his jaw and missed the rest of the Rugby Championship campaign.

Months later on his return to Test rugby against France, the 15th Indigenous man ever to play for the national side had his tour of Europe cut short after suffering bewildering bouts of vertigo.

And before Pietsch could even step out for the Force in the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, he injured his plantar fascia in his foot that has added further delays to the attempted comeback.

"It has been fun," Pietsch joked.

Pietsch was also "super-stoked" to be playing until at least the end of the 2028 season for the Western Force after "loving the relaxing nature of Perth" since moving from hectic Sydney last year.

"It's going to be a mad two years ahead to be honest," he said.

"I'm really proud of his group, they're a really nice group and hopefully we can keep building this group and create a good winning culture."

The move west has opened up further opportunities including the creative Indigenous space where he will be designing the Force's playing jerseys next season after having a distinct role in promoting Aboriginal arts for last year's British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.

Pietsch is also taking great personal pride in setting a benchmark on Indigenous artistic culture for future First nations players at the relatively young Super Rugby franchise.

"We are creating such a good environment and the thing for me is about creating change and to also create new pathways for Indigenous kids to be able to come and meet the challenges like I once did," he said.

"That's the one thing about the Force - they are a lot more open to ideas."

The former Kings School student had suffered racism from some of its pupils, which he later discussed publicly while sharing his mental battles.

He had a battle of a different sort to ask the Waratahs to release him to the Force for a fresh start.

"I play my best footy when I am in my best headspace, and I am definitely in that (headspace) at the moment with the Force," Pietsch said.

His state of mind has been further improved by his marriage to Ella Fountaine in January. Pietsch met his new wife through rugby, and she has a five-month contract with the Force women's side.

Fountaine, now Ella Pietsch, has been playing exclusively on the all-encompassing sevens circuit, where Pietsch started out professionally before returning to the 15-a-side union game.

She debuted for Australia A two years ago.

"It helps that Ella plays for the Force, too, and hopefully she will be playing this year as well," Pietsch said

"I am really excited for her. It is a big part of my decision to be in a place where we are happy.

"She has got a big opportunity to be at the Force this year - hopefully she will debut and keep progressing a bit further, and we'll see where that goes.

"I don't want to make my own decision and make her go somewhere where she is not going to thrive."