Steve Matai is the Sea Eagles surprise packet

[Jethro]

STEVE Matai at 29 is full of surprises.

The game’s most feared defensive centre is proving lethal in attack in 2014 on the back of his giant right step and under estimated speed.

Matai has crossed for four tries in the opening three games including vital first and last tries in the last gasp win over Parramatta last Sunday at Brookvale Oval.

The specialist left side centre has scored 71 tries in his 181 appearances for Manly and forms the oldest centre pairing in the NRL alongside his regular partner Jamie Lyon.

But the pair are a classic better with age example and widely considered as the best pairing in the competition.

Matai says his secret is simply enjoying playing the game he loves with his close team mates.

Quietly spoken and respectful off the field, Matai considers himself blessed to be paid for something he enjoys.

“To play in the NRL for so long with such a great club alongside my mates is special and I don’t take it for granted, ”Matai said.

Most NRL judges think defence when discussing Matai because of his kamikaze take no prisoners approach.

But his positioning in attack, ability to draw and pass for his winger, speed and power when needed and reading of a game are under estimated.

In addition he has one of the best dummy half running games in the competition.

Matai’s decision to be unavailable for the New Zealand Kiwis in the past two seasons has been a bonus for Manly leaving the star centre fresh throughout the premiership.

 

A GREAT BROOKIE SUNDAY

Sunday in the sun watching a thriller between Manly and arch rivals Parramatta is hard to beat.

Almost 15,000 fans enjoyed the experience and when Steve Matai crossed with 45 seconds on the clock to win the match the roar could be heard along Pittwater Road to Dee Why.

And the match day experience continued long after full time for Manly fans.

Hundreds of boys and girls joined parents, siblings and grand parents on the field for a kick of the footy as is traditional at Brookie after a day game.

Those that went back to the traditional home of the Sea Eagles, Manly Leagues Club, were given a chance to meet the players up close and personal after the match.

It was great to see grand final hero from 2008 Michael Robertson at the match and the after match function.

Robertson is unsure of his future after suffering a serious shoulder injury with the London Broncos last year.

Peter Peters
Manly Daily

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/zorba-steve-matai-is-the-sea-eagles-surprise-packet/story-fngr8iii-1226867820540

 

[Jethro]

STEVE Matai at 29 is full of surprises.

The game’s most feared defensive centre is proving lethal in attack in 2014 on the back of his giant right step and under estimated speed.

Read More

 

[bob dylan]

I would read that article but I don't like the first word.

 

[Jethro]

I would read that article but I don't like the first word.

Fixed, offending word "Zorba:" has been removed

 

[HappilyManly]

Matai is the one constant, hardly a surprise :huh:

His rest in the off season was a God send

 

[RiverEagle]

Skivvy is like an extra forward at times for us and his form doesn't really surprise.
Possibly the form centre of the comp right now and yeah , easily the best centre pairing in the comp, alongside Killer.

Hope and expect Steve to wind up a one-club man, and go down as one of our greats.

 

[globaleagle]

Well I'm sure there's no surprises from the people on here.

We know how awesome he is!

Another great game against the rorters and wasn't it fantastic to see him walk straight up and into their resident thug JWH?

Skivvy for PM!

 

[The Eagle Has Landed]

Matai is the one constant, hardly a surprise :huh:

Agreed he is one of the best on field every week.
Imagine if we had another 12 Matai's we'd be unstoppable

 

[manlyfan76]

People are surprised by Matai every week, they are usually carrying a rugby league ball and drifting from inside to out and looking for a hole through the edge of the ruck.

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

Matai is the one constant, hardly a surprise :huh:

Agreed he is one of the best on field every week.
Imagine if we had another 12 Matai's we'd be unstoppable

There'll only ever be ONE Steve Matai.

 

[bones]

In Awe Of New Igor
(By Joel Gould RLW 3/4/14)

Manly legends reckon there's a dash of Terry Randall in Steve Matai.

On the northern beaches, raps don't come any bigger.
Manly centre Steve Matai has received the ultimate accolade, with his toughness being compared to legendary Sea Eagles hard man Terry Randall.
Matai's man-of-the-match performance in the 8-0 win against the Roosters came after he played the entire second half on one leg after suffering a corked thigh and a knee injury.
Manly legend Graham Eadie has seen Matai play through pain and star for the club on countless occasions and now puts him in rare company.
"Steve Matai is in the same mould as Terry Randall when it comes to toughness now," Eadie says. "He just keeps playing through the pain."
"When he has an injury, he won't leave the field. Other players will go off, but Matai runs it out and keeps going."
"Igor (Randall) would play on with broken ribs and all kinds of injuries. He knew he had to be on the field for us to win the big games, and Matai is that same category."
In the 2011 grand final Matai played in with a bad eye wound that required 26 stitches afterwards. In the 2008 decider he starred after receiving multiple needles for weeks for an ongoing AC joint injury in his shoulder and a bulging disc in his neck.
Matai has been criticised for clutching at all parts of his body during games, but then playing on.
But Manly great Noel Cleal, who brought Matai to Brookvale from the Ipswich Jets in 2004 when he was the clubs recruitment director, says his injuries are always legitimate.
"Steve doesn't take any prisoners, but he doesn't take himself as a prisoner either," Cleal says. "He plays the game with so much aggression and heat that he is going to take a bruise from time to time .... and he does. But he doesn't miss much footy because of it."
Cleal says Matai's desire to do anything for Manly was evident from the time he joined the club.
"We brought him down from Ipswich in 2004, but we had no money," he says.
"We didn't even have enough to say to him, 'Hang around and we will pay your accomodation.'
"We told him we'd send him back to Ipswich and keep an eye on him.
"But he said 'I don't care whether I get paid or not, I'm staying.' Money wasn't an issue, he just backed himself.
Matai's ability to make line breaks and set play up like a classic centre means he is now the complete package.
"Steve can be intimidating but at the same time he's got silky skills. He's a rare commodity," Cleal says.
Eadie insists Matai is now one of the clubs all-time great centres.
"It's hard to put him in the (Bob) Fulton class, but he is up with some of the best centres that we have had at Manly."

 

[RiverEagle]

That's an awesome read and hell of a wrap @bones!
And I agree whole-heartedly. Skivvy is a sniper
out there on the edges and knowing he put his
hand up and played for next-to-nothing in those early days just shows he's the real-deal!

Peeps calling some of our guys spoilt would do
well to read that, and think about what they go
thru every week. BIG wrap to mention him in the same air as Igor, but Wombat would know!

 

[mozgrame]

Meh...nothing in there we didn't already know about Steve . If you consider him a surprise packet this year, then you must have been living under a rock for quite a while now.

 

[RiverEagle]

I didn't know precisely how he began his career with us @mozgrame, or the high regard Wombat has for Steve either...am sure there are
others here in the same boat.

Doesn't hurt to acknowledge, and celebrate our
champions either; esp at a time when we're
evaluating players' worth, and Skivvy is simply playing extra welll.

These guys won't be around forever and shouldn't be taken for granted.

 

[mozgrame]

I didn't know precisely how he began his career with us @mozgrame, or the high regard Wombat has for Steve either...am sure there are
others here in the same boat.

Doesn't hurt to acknowledge, and celebrate our
champions either; esp at a time when we're
evaluating players' worth, and Skivvy is simply playing extra welll.

These guys won't be around forever and shouldn't be taken for granted.

Agreed.

No one I know under values Steve. I know a few opposition fans that despise him, but that's mainly jealousy mixed with fear. lol

Happily Manly (I'm pretty sure) told us the story of how Steve came to be at Manly only a few weeks ago. I linked his Wikipedia profile to that thread too. I guess you may have missed it. I started a thread titled "Videos" just before the season started. Check out the first post/video in that thread. I love Matai and his work ethic just as much as anyone else here.

It could only be a surprise to someone that watches very little NRL, and absolutely NO Manly games how good Matai is, week in week out. That's what I meant.

 

[RiverEagle]

Yes I did indeed miss HappilyManly's reference there @mozgrame, and haven't watched all videos in that thread -- just wanted to clarify others including myself might like to recognize
Skivvy, as we do with all our guys now and then.
Absolutely agree with you he'd have to be feared ( tho respected ) out there, and is priceless for us!