- 3 May 2017
- Manly Daily
- Jon Geddes
Grand gesture from Barrett for Sea Eagles’ rising stars
SEA Eagles coach Trent Barrett addressed the club’s Harold Matthews side last night ahead of Saturday’s grand final against the Newcastle Knights at Leichhardt Oval.
Manly forward Viliami Fifita on the charge against Parramatta. Picture: Bryden Sharp
His visit before training gave the players a boost as they prepare for what will be the biggest game of their careers so far.
The under-16 side will be out to make history as the first Manly side to win the competition, which has been running since 1970.
The Sea Eagles qualified for the grand final with a 30-24 win over Parramatta in their preliminary final last Saturday.
“The first half was a great team effort,” said Harold Matthews coach Brett Fulton.
And the Manly side, which includes three well-known rugby league names in Albert Hopoate, Ben Trbojevic and Josh Schuster, will go into the game as real underdogs against a red-hot Newcastle outfit.
That is a tag that Fulton is happy to carry.
“I’d rather have that to be honest,” he said.
The young Knights have been the dominant Harold Matthews team all season and head into the game undefeated.
The Sea Eagles have been beaten twice during the season but have hit form at the right time of the campaign.
It will be very much business as usual for the young Manly side.
“I’ll leave it as it has been and let them get on with it on game day as opposed to try and pump them up too much,” Fulton said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/manly-daily/sport