Manly will do absolutely everything possible to keep Matai playing this season, basically it comes down to if Matai is out the season is over for us.
Many people on this forum have been talking down our ageing backline lacking speed spark etc. The issue is they have been holding up this team for the last 4 years doing forward like work in go forward and defence due to our soft forward pack performances especially over the last 18 months.
Signs of toughness and hardness is coming back into the forwards(still a big improvement needed) as some develop and play with confidence along with looking a little more trimmed up as the season progresses.(some players can go in reverse during the season and put on weight especially older players)
The last game against the Cowboys I was not really impressed with the performance like many here, too often when the Cowboys put the foot down in the forwards and played hard fast and direct there were way too many soft metres available.
Manly have improved a fair bit since this game and JT alone never scares me one bit, but if their forwards play hard fast and direct that is what worries me more than JT.
Sunday afternoon dry fast track at Brookie I would be backing a fit Manly and Matai 13 plus still think we can get up though with a fit squad----the home games we will be more than competitive while the top 8 is still attainable.
Over the years especially during Haslers era the slow heavy Brookvale track worked in Manlys favour (more so the years leading up to our first GF win and a year or two later) but in the last 4 years dry fast tracks with our expansive creative ball play and smaller pack suits our style better.(that is why we looked so sharp and clinical at the GC)