Little Jack Manly Griffiths is set to make his big screen ‘debut’ at 4 Pines Park this season.
The nippy three year-old was one of the ‘cute stars’ at the Sea Eagles Production Day recently at 4 Pines Park as the club gears up for another big year of home games, starting with Sunday's blockbuster against the Sydney Roosters.
It’s not like Jack isn’t used to bright lights and noise. After all, it will be three years this July since he made headlines after being born on the side of Warringah Road in Brookvale, just a short stroll to Manly's sacred home ground.
With his paramedic Mum Alyssa Stevens going into labour, it was left to her partner, Max Griffiths, to deliver their son who, was safe to say, was in a hurry to enter the world.
We caught up with Alyssa and Max to see how Jack 'Manly' is going.
WC: What a birth and delivery it was. What do you think of when you reflect back on that crazy, but happy day?
AS: We’ve been given the recording of our call to triple 000 so we’ve been able to go back, listen and relive those minutes of absolute chaos. Lucky for us it all turned out fine, but I do often reflect and think we should have left for the hospital an hour… or a day earlier.
From the time we called to when Jack was born, it was just under two minutes. It all happened so quickly that we had no choice but to deliver him ourselves. By the time the paramedics arrived all was calm, and we were laughing from the shock. We got a ride in the ambulance to the hospital and were back home within a few hours and spent the next few months in complete disbelief that it happened the way it did.
WC: With Max being a passionate Manly Member, was it always planned to give Jack the middle name of ‘Manly’?
AS: Neither of us could agree on a boys name, we had nine months of going back and forth suggesting names and had got nowhere. The night before Jack arrived, Max said that If we had a boy I could choose the first name as long as he could pick the middle name. Max proudly announced his middle name of 'Manly'. He was cheering that he got his way. I honestly didn’t think his middle name wouldn't have been so well known, yet how did I know he was about to make a 'grand entrance' and his birth story would make the news with his name splashed across the tv screen. We’re expecting our third baby, another boy, and we don’t think we can match anything as good as Jack Manly.
WC: Are you all now proud Manly Members. What do you like about coming to home games at Brookvale?
AS: We took Jack to his first Manly home game last May. The whole family was there from cousins, grandma, aunts and uncles, all who are Manly supporters. We sat up on the hill. Jack's time was spent in between sliding down the hill on the cardboard boxes and up on Dad's shoulders. Jack loved the atmosphere and when the ‘Maaaannly’ chant started going, he was pointing at himself. He regularly asks when we are going back to watch the footy.
WC: How exciting will it be to see Jack Manly feature as part of the club's home game entertainment?
AS: We’re so thankful to have Jack play a part in the entertainment package, the excitement it will give him to see himself up on the big screen at a game will blow his mind. We’ll take him to as many home games as possible so he can see himself at the footy. He will just be ecstatic about it! Anything to do with footy grabs his attention, so for him to see his face lit up on the screen at Brookvale Oval, it will beat Christmas!
WC: Is Jack Manly headed for a career in rugby league or the big stage, giving his fine acting skills already?
AS: We hope he plays for Manly, that would really make his story come full circle. We can’t get his Manly jersey off him, he wears it to daycare regularly. We’ll help him grow into whatever takes his interest, he genuinely loves sports, he’s a real boys' boy. At the moment he is into golf with his Dad and he sleeps with his golf clubs. Once he’s old enough to play football, I'm almost certain that it will take over as he loves to kick the footy and tackles anything in sight, including his sister.
