100 games for a favourite son
4 July 2008
BRETT Stewart was just a skinny, fresh-faced kid with potential when he arrived at Manly with his older brother Glenn five years ago.
His relaxed nature and infectious personality ensured he was quickly popular with his teammates at Brookvale Oval.
Stewart was also blessed with blinding speed and a nose for a try, which also made him a favourite of the fans.
But as the Sea Eagles fullback is about to play his 100th first-grade game for the club against the Gold Coast tonight, his dad Barry believes his son's greatest trait is his determination to get to the top.
"I used to ask him when he was young what he was going to do for a job when he grew up and he always said, 'I am going to play footy'," Barry Stewart told The Manly Daily.
"Brett had a lot of self-belief from a young age but he's worked pretty hard as well. It was always his dream and he's gone out and achieved it. And to do it all with his diabetes, I think he's done extra well.
"It's been an unbelievable run for him ... a pretty good journey."
But it began in the worst possible way against the Eels at Parramatta Stadium in 2003. After spending half the warm-up vomiting and trying to settle his uncontrolled nerves, Stewart tried to stop a runaway Jamie Lyon, smashing his shoulder and his debut dreams.
"It was a pretty up-and-down day," Stewart recalled yesterday after touching down with the Sea Eagles squad on the Gold Coast.
"I was so proud to play first grade, it was always my dream and then to hurt my shoulder was tough. I didn't know how I would come back from that."
The 23-year-old's answer was emphatic.
He got his shoulder right and returned to first grade, scoring tries at a rapid rate before representative honours followed.
"I owe a lot to the club," Stewart said.
"They didn't know much about (Glenn and I) but brought us on to play first grade.
"They showed us a lot of loyalty and I'd like to do the same to them."
Stewart had little impact in NSW's 16-10 State of Origin defeat to Queensland, with coach Craig Bellamy opting to give Stewart a run only in the final 25 minutes.
"It was a bit hard to swallow," he said.
Manly will start heavy favourites tonight with Titans playmaker Scott Prince out for at least 12 weeks with a broken arm.
4 July 2008
BRETT Stewart was just a skinny, fresh-faced kid with potential when he arrived at Manly with his older brother Glenn five years ago.
His relaxed nature and infectious personality ensured he was quickly popular with his teammates at Brookvale Oval.
Stewart was also blessed with blinding speed and a nose for a try, which also made him a favourite of the fans.
But as the Sea Eagles fullback is about to play his 100th first-grade game for the club against the Gold Coast tonight, his dad Barry believes his son's greatest trait is his determination to get to the top.
"I used to ask him when he was young what he was going to do for a job when he grew up and he always said, 'I am going to play footy'," Barry Stewart told The Manly Daily.
"Brett had a lot of self-belief from a young age but he's worked pretty hard as well. It was always his dream and he's gone out and achieved it. And to do it all with his diabetes, I think he's done extra well.
"It's been an unbelievable run for him ... a pretty good journey."
But it began in the worst possible way against the Eels at Parramatta Stadium in 2003. After spending half the warm-up vomiting and trying to settle his uncontrolled nerves, Stewart tried to stop a runaway Jamie Lyon, smashing his shoulder and his debut dreams.
"It was a pretty up-and-down day," Stewart recalled yesterday after touching down with the Sea Eagles squad on the Gold Coast.
"I was so proud to play first grade, it was always my dream and then to hurt my shoulder was tough. I didn't know how I would come back from that."
The 23-year-old's answer was emphatic.
He got his shoulder right and returned to first grade, scoring tries at a rapid rate before representative honours followed.
"I owe a lot to the club," Stewart said.
"They didn't know much about (Glenn and I) but brought us on to play first grade.
"They showed us a lot of loyalty and I'd like to do the same to them."
Stewart had little impact in NSW's 16-10 State of Origin defeat to Queensland, with coach Craig Bellamy opting to give Stewart a run only in the final 25 minutes.
"It was a bit hard to swallow," he said.
Manly will start heavy favourites tonight with Titans playmaker Scott Prince out for at least 12 weeks with a broken arm.