Brett Stewart swoops Manly into premiership contention
April 19th 2009 01:02
If there was going to be any team in the NRL to come back from a winless first month in 2009 and stake a claim for a premiership, it was always going to be defending premiers, the Manly Sea Eagles.
Although their 24-8 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday night failed to live up to the magnificent displays of yesteryear, the Sea Eagles have no doubt turned a corner following Brett Stewart’s return from suspension.
Indeed Stewart has already scored five tries in his first two games of the season, to revive the Sea Eagles ailing hopes of making the finals, let alone defending their 2008 premiership.
His performances so far has allowed key players Matt Orford, Jamie Lyon, Anthony Watmough and Glenn Stewart to play with the necessary flair and skill that is often the foundation for Stewart’s try scoring exploits.
Against the Rabbitohs, Stewart once again found himself on the scoresheet, after Watmough gifted him a four pointer under the posts.
He scored again in the second half to signify just how important he is not only to Manly’s hopes, but the chances of the opposition as well.
The Wests Tigers and the Rabbitohs have already felt the painful try scoring potency of Stewart. It seems no matter how hard teams try to defend, the Sea Eagles fullback is just bound to score.
With Stewart in the side, one could almost certainly suggest that Manly should start their NRL games at least four points in front, judging from his remarkable strike rate.
He is already close to scoring a century of tries in a very short period of time; and with the game now faster than ever, do not be surprised if Stewart reaches a double century.
Although that landmark is still a fair distance away, there is no doubt that Stewart’s return for Manly has re-ignited the teams’ premiership defence this season.
In Stewart, the Sea Eagles have a player that is probably the most influential in the NRL at this stage of the season.
Without him, Manly now rival the Cowboys and the Tigers as the team who suffer the most from the loss of such an important player.
But if Stewart stays injury free, there is no reason why the Sea Eagles can not make the finals this year and go back to back.
Their win over the Rabbitohs has now officially kick-started the bandwagon from the Peninsula, that on its day, is very difficult to stop, especially now that Stewart is back on board leading the way.
| 50 |
| Vote |
