He is the type of rugby league player who keeps the turnstiles clicking at NRL grounds each weekend.
Be it spotting a gap others simply don't see, a magnificent cover tackle or composure when nailing a sideline conversion, Sea Eagles co-captain Jamie Lyon is the complete package.
Long term teammates Anthony Watmough and Glenn Stewart both described "Killer" as the most naturally gifted athlete they have played alongside.
High praise from two steely characters who have been fortunate to share plenty of good times in maroon and white with Lyon after he joined the club in 2007.
"He arrived under plenty of pressure, but it didn't take him long to adjust,'' Stewart said this week.
"He seems to makes things look effortless, and off the field he is a great bloke as well."
Watmough pointed to Lyon's calm on field demeanour.
"When the game is on the line we know can rely on him,'' he said.
"He delivers in big games and to be honest he could play anywhere in the backline.
"You could even throw him in the forwards, he would do a job."
Life could have turned out very differently for the proud country boy.
After arriving in Sydney as a teenager, he quit footy in 2004 aged just 22.
At the time he was on the books of Parramatta, and he told a gobsmacked public he had fallen out of love with the game.
After a stint spent pouring beers at the local pub back home in Wee Waa, Lyon took up a two year deal with St Helens in the English Super League.
Lyon dominated the competition, winning almost every trophy possible before eventually deciding it was time to come home.
Plenty of potential suitors put their hand up for his services, notably Canberra, Penrith and Gold Coast.
Parramatta thought they had their man for a second time but a long standing friendship with then Manly recruitment officer Noel Cleal, who signed him as a schoolboy for the Eels, saw Lyon become a Sea Eagle.
"Crusher had a wrap on the northern beaches as an area, and the coaching staff under Des Hasler,'' Lyon said this week after inviting the Manly Daily into his Warriewood home.
"He wasn't wrong, with the beaches and laid back lifestyle.
"My (three) kids don't know any better, they have been lucky enough to live here their whole lives.
"It certainly is a nice place to call home."
Club great Malcolm Reilly knew Manly were getting a special player once Lyon put pen to paper.
"They have a real coup in signing him, in my opinion Jamie is the finest player from Australia to have played in England in the last 20 years,'' he said at the time.
"He has everything to help deliver a couple of premierships."
Reilly was spot on, with victory laps at ANZ Stadium following in 2008 and 2011.
In recent years, plenty has been made about the culture at the club.
Lyon is the glue, organising events like golf days and poker nights.
"It is pretty simple, we all just click as mates,'' the 32-year-old said.
"Everyone is comfortable around one another, we don't have any big heads and the older guys go out of their way to make the young blokes feel welcome.
"I guess it is seamless, footy is better when everyone is enjoying themselves."
Lyon, who is off contract at the end of 2016, intends on staying involved in some capacity with the Sea Eagles once he hangs up his boots.
"I love the club, some of the best times of my life have been here,'' he said.
"It was my dream to play NRL as a kid, so to play just over 180 games with Manly is something I will look back on more closely when I retire."
Widely regarded as the world's best centre, Lyon has a sporting CV ten players would kill to have.
Despite the grand final wins, turning out for NSW and representing Australia, he does have one regret.
"If I had my time again, I would change how I left Parramatta,'' he said candidly.
"I would do things differently, but at the time I felt it was the right decision."
His decision not to answer repeated SOS calls from Blues fans come State of Origin time is also an issue Lyon wanted to clarify.
"Laurie (Daley) has done a great job since he took over, I was stoked to see the boys win the series this year,'' he said.
"I made my decision not to play anymore (in 2010) and I am fine with it, I lost a bit of motivation for the representative scene.
"It has also prolonged my club career."
Lyon is confident the Sea Eagles class of 2014 can land the NRL premiership trophy come October 5 at Homebush.
"We have shown glimpses of real good footy this year,'' he said.
"It is a matter of peaking at the right time, we certainly have the players to be there when it matters and hopefully we are."
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Andrew Prentice
Manly Daily
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/jamie-lyon-the-beating-heart-of-the-sea-eagles/story-fngr8hax-1226995815921