SEA Eagles five-eighth Kieran Foran has backed Jack Littlejohn to handle one of the biggest challenges in the NRL by replacing Daly Cherry-Evans in the Sea Eagles side for Friday's clash with the Bull
dogs.
With the very in-form Cherry-Evans on State of Origin duty with Queensland, Littlejohn will team up with Foran in the halves for the game at ANZ Stadium.
"He has filled in really well this year and the games he has played he has done a great job so it will be no different hopefully this Friday night," Foran said.
Foran has been impressed with Littlejohn's development since arriving at Brookvale this season with no fanfare.
"We've always had confidence in him, I think he was a quality signing for us to cover the halves and in every game he has been a standout."
Foran said Littlejohn had a great kicking game, was tough and throws a good ball.
After several weeks in the Manly NSW Cup side Littlejohn said it didn't feel different returning to the NRL side.
"The boys welcomed me straight back in," Littlejohn said.
And while Cherry-Evans was recovering from the second State of Origin game Littlejohn had been training with the squad.
"There is a little bit of pressure there but I just go about my business and play my game," he said.
"I can't be Daly Cherry-Evans, I've just got to play the way I play and hopefully that works for the boys."Littlejohn said he is definitely a better player than he was at the start of the season with four NRL games for the Sea Eagles under his belt.
"My patience is a bit better and I think I'm better in pressure situations too," he said.
He said playing inside the warhorse Foran made his job a lot easier.
"He does a lot of talking on the field and directs the boys around which gives me a bit of a free reign to follow up on what he does," Littlejohn said.
He said both Foran and Cherry-Evans also talk to him a lot at training and steer him in the right direction.
Jon Geddes
Manly Daily
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