Stewart plans to exploit tiny chinks in the armour

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ManlyBacker

Winging it
Manly fullback Brett Stewart has spotted opportunities to break down Sydney Roosters' wall-like defence he plans to take advantage of on Sunday. He also warned his injury lay-off has him primed for a big grand final performance.

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Manly fullback Brett Stewart has spotted opportunities to break down Sydney Roosters' wall-like defence he plans to take advantage of on Sunday. He also warned his injury lay-off has him primed for a big grand final performance.


While Stewart found it so hard to watch the Sea Eagles' opening two finals he had to go into the dressing room late in the elimination final against Cronulla, he revealed he saw things his teammates on the field could not in their 4-0 loss to the Roosters.

''I don't want to say too much, but I thought there were a few opportunities that we probably didn't take,'' Stewart said. ''That was a physical game and I think it is going to be exactly the same this week. Both teams know what to expect from one another.''

Despite having an extra eight sets of tackles and allowing the Roosters within 10 metres of their try line just twice during the epic encounter, Manly failed to take advantage. But many believe it might have been a different outcome had Stewart not been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

His replacement, Peta Hiku, gained an impressive 297 metres in his 26 runs, but Stewart would have been more likely to capitalise on three line breaks by skipper Jamie Lyon, whose combination with the star fullback and winger David Williams has made the Sea Eagles' right-side attack the most potent in the NRL.

'''Killer' [Lyon] is a class act, I would probably go as far as to say he is the best player I have ever played with,'' Stewart said. ''When you have got blokes like him beside you it makes our job easy. But if you take any first-grade fullback out of any side they sort of struggle. If you take Billy Slater or Greg Inglis out of a side I think that side will struggle because the pre-season is set around the fullback, the dummy-half and the halves.''

After missing four matches due to a hamstring tear, Stewart returned in last Friday night's stunning 30-20 defeat of South Sydney and he played a key role in helping the Sea Eagles to their fourth grand final in seven years by scoring a try and laying on another for hooker Matt Ballin.

The 28-year-old said he wanted to make up for lost time. ''I suppose sitting on the sideline watching the boys play, there was a little fire burning within,'' he said. ''Sitting back not being able to do anything gave me a lot of motivation for the game last week and it will certainly be the same this week.''

However, he admitted he had feared not getting the chance to play again this season as the tiring Sea Eagles struggled to hold out the Sharks in their elimination final six days after their physical encounter with the Roosters.

''I actually had to go in the shed there for a bit. It was too hard on the sideline,'' Stewart said. ''It was a Catch 22 [situation], if I played and done my hamstring then obviously I was out, but on the other hand I wasn't 100 per cent. It was a tough decision.

''I had a few words with 'Toovs' [coach Geoff Toovey] because I wanted to play, but they thought it was best to rest.''

Brad Walter http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/stewart-plans-to-exploit-tiny-chinks-in-the-armour-20131001-2uqri.html#ixzz2gVTRdlrd
 
Snake and Tooves may have had words about him not playing against the Sharks, but at least he was man enough to admit it was the right call.

Interesting fact. Manly have never lost a game in which both Snake and Gifty score a try. Here's hoping both bag one in Sunday's win (to steal a quote from Murray Walker.....unless I am very much mistaken, the last time the Brothers Stewart both scored in the same game was the 2011 GF win over the Warriors).

Seems Snake is also a good judge of player talent. He rates Killer as the best he's played with. Considering the talent he's had around him in his career in both club and rep footy, that's a big call.
 
This what the chooks face from brother Glenn:

672746-glenn-stewart.jpg
 

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