ManlyBacker
Winging it
STAR backrower Glenn Stewart has provided the Sea Eagles a reality check by warning his side is not yet a certainty to make the top eight in the competition.
His sobering words are a timely reminder to his teammates and fans that Manly cannot afford to take their foot of the accelerator ahead of tomorrow's showdown with in-form South Sydney at Bluetongue Stadium at Gosford.
"This year seems to be the sides with the momentum doing all the damage and we have been pretty patchy," Stewart said.
"I don't think anything is assured in the competition this year."
Stewart said while Manly had been inconsistent, they have still done enough to be thereabouts in the top eight.
"We'd like to go into the semis with a bit of momentum ourselves."
Asked how far the Sea Eagles were from where they want to be, Stewart replied: "If everyone stays healthy another three weeks or something like that, we'll start to hit our full straps."
The NSW State of Origin backrower, who had been sidelined with a knee injury, said his fitness was getting better every week.
"I'm still only three games back, so probably in another two games I'll start to be a bit better."
Manly have received plenty of support from punters as they get back their big names such as Stewart, his brother Brett and Tony Williams.
"We are not over confident at the moment, two weeks in a row is the amount of games we have had with everyone back," Stewart said.
"We'd like to have a little bit more than that just to get the combinations back."
And Stewart knows the red-hot Bunnies will provide the Sea Eagles with a good test tomorrow.
"I know they don't have GI (the suspended Greg Inglis) but they are doing a good job without him."
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/nrl-sea-eagles-glenn-stewarts-warning/
