Matai drawing target on Gasnier

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fLIP

UFO Hunter
Manly hitman Steve Matai has warned St George Illawarra target Mark Gasnier he'll have nowhere to hide in Saturday's NRL qualifying final at Brookvale Oval.

Matai will mark up on the Dragons match-winner, who he infamously knocked out in a Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Wellington last year.

The Kiwi centre was sent-off for the hit, which left Gasnier unconscious and Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart fuming in the 58-0 thrashing by Australia.

Matai is keen to avoid a similar outcome but he has promised to do everything in his power to make Gasnier uncomfortable.

"I think I've just got to get up in his face and just cut his thinking time down, so hopefully I can do that this weekend," he said.

Matai said he would not be charging out of the line at Gasnier without picking his moment.

"Definitely not, he's got great footwork and a great fend so if we rush up on him he's definitely going to put one on me and I'll look stupid," he said.

"I don't think it's picking a player, it's just picking the right time to do it.

"If you think it's on, it's on but if not then you're going to look stupid."

But Matai didn't hose down the talk of fireworks following the Dragons' aggressive approach in their round 19 clash with table-topping Melbourne.

"We're going to do anything that will help us win the game and I'm sure they'll do the same," he said.

Meanwhile, benched veteran utility Steve Menzies, who will play his last game at his beloved Brookvale Oval on Saturday, said coach Des Hasler had hatched a plan for his involvement.

"There's a set plan that Dessie's spoken to me about," Menzies said.

"Depending on what happens with injuries and little things here and there I could play in the backrow, I could play in the halves or in the centres depending on who gets pushed around.

"So it's really just see how the team's travelling after maybe 25, 30 minutes."

And five-eighth Jamie Lyon said he had felt no ill-effects after his return from a knee injury in Saturday's win over Penrith.

"I wouldn't have minded a couple more games under my belt but I got a good 60 minutes out last week and the body feels good," he said.

"I'm 100 per cent confident with the injury, I didn't even feel it on the weekend.

But Lyon did little to dispel the belief the Dragons have the wood on Manly after four wins from their last six games at Brookvale.

"They're our bogey team I suppose and they should beat us the way they've been going," he said.
 
Hopefully he doesn't miss his first tackle and Gasnier puts their winger into score...
 
Flip link said:
\"They're our bogey team I suppose and they should beat us the way they've been going,\" he said.

Manly are the only team in the comp that come out and say crap like this, a little self belief would be nice.

Senior players shouldn't be coming out and making statments such as these, Im certian it would do nothing positive to their cause, and may have a negitve effect on the younger players in the team reading comments such as this.
 
Agreed Missing_s, But this self deprecating view maybe comes from the illustrious coach who finds it difficult to 'raise the praise'.  Like other posters, I just hope that Stevie-boy holds the line and is very very selective in his out-of-the-line charges...otherwise Gas and his mate will have a field day at our expense.  I was there in the last final matchup and it was very ugly. 
 
missing_something link said:
[quote author=Flip link=topic=178380.msg196357#msg196357 date=1221088458]

\"They're our bogey team I suppose and they should beat us the way they've been going,\" he said.

Manly are the only team in the comp that come out and say crap like this, a little self belief would be nice.

Senior players shouldn't be coming out and making statments such as these, Im certian it would do nothing positive to their cause, and may have a negitve effect on the younger players in the team reading comments such as this.
[/quote]

Thats because the Manly players are the only ones smart enough to play mind games with the opposition. The Dragons are known finals chokers, we need to shift the underdog tag from them onto us. If they are expected to win, they will crumble.
 
missing_something link said:
[quote author=Flip link=topic=178380.msg196357#msg196357 date=1221088458]

\"They're our bogey team I suppose and they should beat us the way they've been going,\" he said.

Manly are the only team in the comp that come out and say crap like this, a little self belief would be nice.

Senior players shouldn't be coming out and making statments such as these, Im certian it would do nothing positive to their cause, and may have a negitve effect on the younger players in the team reading comments such as this.
[/quote]Clon is dead right above. Do you really think that Manly players are sitting back resigned to losing this game?? It is all part of the talking the opposition up and not giving them any ammunition to come out and play with. Our last effort against St G at Brookie will have our guys pumped up. Mind you, being pumped only gets you to the 20 min mark and after that it is skill, focus and will to win that kicks in.
 
missing_something link said:
[quote author=Flip link=topic=178380.msg196357#msg196357 date=1221088458]

\"They're our bogey team I suppose and they should beat us the way they've been going,\" he said.

Manly are the only team in the comp that come out and say crap like this, a little self belief would be nice.

Senior players shouldn't be coming out and making statments such as these, Im certian it would do nothing positive to their cause, and may have a negitve effect on the younger players in the team reading comments such as this.
[/quote]

You are kidding aren't you?

Players sprout this **** all the time.  Mind games.
 
You only have to look at the interview footage. Lyon smirks and almost giggles while delivering that line and the journos including one behind Lyon (in plain camera view) clearly pissing themselves in controlled laughter.

However DSM did swallow the bait it & gave him yet another chance for a cheap swipe at Des.
 
So DSM

According to yourself, Des is happy to just compete if i remember correctly

If that is the case, then why was he going ballistic in the sheds at HT last weekend ?
 
Matai said he wants to slow down the thinking time Gaz has. That worries me. This is a semi and I'd rather he held the line and stopped putting stupid pressure on the wingers. I can't see Gaz being put off by a big hit. Matai is better to do a front on driving tackle backwards than any risky one-hit prayer.
 
With our defensive structure, if he held his line the entire game, Saints would have a lot of overlaps that cause us a problem as well

The key is picking the right time, and Bell and Matai have been pretty good at it this season
 
The quote about being happy to compete is on the record KE, and I wasn't impressed at the time.  If he hadn't gone ballistic at Penrith I would have gone in there myself and given the lads a roast.  We played like crap in the first half and deserved a spray from our coach.  I disagree with your observation re Bell and Stevie.  I think they've been a defensive problem more than they should.  But we'll see how they go on Saturday.  I think we'll win and win comfortably.  Our forward pack is harder working and our backs are a better attacking unit.  The only problem is that 'rushing out of the line' I've been on about all year.
 

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