How great was It to defeat the Sea Eagles in such a thrilling contest!

Thank you to both teams.

My dislike of Manly runs deep.

They are and will always be an arch rival  but there is no denying they have some brilliant attacking players who can play an attractive brand of Rugby League.

What a pity that when post match rolled around, the brilliant contest was somewhat ruined by commentators either showing a complete lack of knowledge for the rules or worse being unable to put aside bias towards certain clubs.

Michael Ennis, the 2024 Manly attacking coach, I’m pointing a finger at you. If Fox League is going to assign you to matches that involve your football employer, it’s up to you to give a fair and balanced opinion and not create controversy when there is none.

Of course the greatest pity from the game are the injuries to Mitch Moses and Bryce Cartwright.

My view from the stands is simple. Get behind the team, believe in them, support them.

While it is a big road block it is not season over. In fact it might just be the making of certain individuals and the making of the team. Let me explain why I don’t just hope this, I truly believe it.

We can’t win a grandfinal without Mitch, but we won’t have to win it in the next two months. We just need to keep ourselves in the fight until he comes back.

I love Mitch and his passion and he is absolutely crucial for us come finals time. But this team in 2024 can roll with the punches and just keep going. We just need to stay strong over the next few months, we need to be resilient. Indeed, “resilient” is the word I would use to describe our first three games.

Mitch Moses

You could say this is wishful thinking and in the past I would be the first to agree a two month Moses absence would mean our season being over. But my gut feeling is that this team is different.

On Sunday, I  was probably like many others and fearing a belting. When Manly get out to a quick start they are really hard to stop. In recent years we have been on the end of some big scores when Manly start with a bang.

But we stayed disciplined. We stayed composed and we stuck to our game. And most important, we showed that resilience and self belief.

I accept that the doubters have ample reason to doubt.

We will miss Mitch in general play, but the area we will be tested most is our kicking game. Depending upon who replaces Mitch we will lose that really long kick. Therefore our outside backs must step up in yardage.

Our forward strength is exceptional and can keep us in this competition by winning the middle. However, you have to include the outside backs as additional forwards in the modern game. They get the ugly metres in yardage off kick returns. This in turn takes workload pressure off the forwards, leaving them fresher for the bigger collision in both attack and defence.

Without Mitch to kick us out of trouble, we can’t carry outside backs who won’t get in there and make the tough runs. With Mitch’s supreme kicks missing from our footy formula, the outside back selections will be as critical as the decision about Mitch’s replacement.

So where is the positive amongst all of these concerns?

I believe we can stay afloat and win enough games and it will be because our key players will step up.

Unquestionably, Gutho, RCG, Matto, Lane and Junior will step up and shoulder more responsibilities. However, with the hole in the leadership group left by Moses, the time is ripe for one or more of our younger boys to fill the void.

Dylan Brown, Eels supporters will be looking in your direction.

And last Sunday, Dylan gave the Blue and Gold Army reason to believe that he can step up to the plate.

In the first quarter last Sunday, Dylbags made some errors. His passes did not hit the mark, although one could also argue his teammates played a role not being in the right spot.

A younger Dylan Brown might have gone into his shell, put those passes away, and probably drifted out of the game. But last Sunday he did not.

The start to the 2nd half was crucial. We had to regain momentum and Dylan ensured that we did that by nailing a pass for a try that he had twice failed to execute in the first half.

Then his composure was evident in the lead up to the following try. Upon receiving the ball in a disjointed play, and with few options in front of him, he used his speed and took on the line. He didn’t try a miracle kick or panic. He got a quick play the ball which allowed Mitch the space to set up the short pass for a try.

So far this year Dylan has done two things; stayed composed and stayed in the game despite errors. It’s obvious that he’s a more mature player this year.

Whatever way BA goes on team list Tuesday, Dylan Brown will be the primary playmaker. If he can, as I predict, rise to the occasion, this might be the next big step in the career of the talented Kiwi. And he might just follow the lead of Mitch Moses, becoming the primary play maker with a young half by his side.

When Mitch comes back in two months, with Dylan at the helm of a strong and resilient team that’s in finals contention, we will be a better unit because of the tough times. There is a silver lining to the Moses injury, we just have to stay united, composed and resilient.

There are many of these moments of celebration still awaiting us this season

We can’t help but feel disappointed about Mitch. We can’t but feel frustrated about the situation, but that won’t solve or change the predicament.

Our choice, as supporters, could be to roll over and lament another year gone and the drought continuing. Or, we can choose to believe in our team.

Last year Penrith played at least eight games without Cleary. They probably wouldn’t have won the grandfinal without him, but they did enough to win in his absence during the regular season and that kept their campaign on track. Why can’t we do the same?

The team needs us to remain positive, believe in them, get out to support them and ride this wave.

In my eyes there was something different about that win last Sunday, just as there is something different and maybe a bit special about this team.

Maybe we will look back when Mitch returns and say this period of his absence was the making of certain players, and the making of this team.

See you there on Monday at CommBank Stadium.

Shelley

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