Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Coach Trent Barrett has praised the off-field leadership shown by Nate Myles ahead of the Qld Origin’s return tomorrow night.
Myles has not played for the Sea Eagles since suffering a knee injury in the round 14 loss to Penrith at Brookvale Oval.
He returned for Queensland in the final State of Origin match last Wednesday week but was not named to play in Manly’s win over the Warriors in Perth last Saturday.
Barrett said Myles’ return in the Manly jersey was a ‘huge boost’ ahead of the vital must win clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Allianz Stadium.
“Nate has been a big part of why we have been able to turn things around. His leadership off the field has been really good,’’ Barrett said today.
“He hasn’t been able to play too many games for us during the Origin period. It will be good to have him back and he is over his knee injury.
“The boys enjoy having him in the team and it will be good to see him out there tomorrow night.”
Barrett said beating South Sydney was more than just about stopping the ‘Burgess brothers’.
“They have got a good pack. It is not just the Burgess boys. They are all fairly experienced and pretty tough,’’ Barrett said.
“You look at Jason Clark and David Tyrell..they are still knocking out some good games for them. They do lay the platform for Adam Reynolds and Luke Keary. Cody Walker has been really good for them as well.
“We have got to do the things we want to do, and do them really well. The result will take care of itself. It will be a tough game.
“This game is hugely important to us. It can take us to 18 points and two games adrift of the eight, with the Panthers and the Titans winning.
“It is a chance for us to keep our season going. We just have to keep winning. We can control our own destiny.”
Barett also congratulated Manly prop Darcy Lussick ahead of his 100th game in the NRL.
“Darcy has come to the fore over the past five or six weeks in terms of his leadership,'' he added..
“He has always been a player with potential. At Parramatta, it probably didn’t turn out as well as he would have liked. He has trained really hard this season.
“Darcy is not a big talker. He does everything right and leads by example.”
