LIVEWIRE Sea Eagles utility Jamie Buhrer is bracing himself for a challenging Sunday afternoon against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

Written off by many experts in the off-season, Mick Potter’s much-derided squad has impressed in the first few rounds of the 2014 campaign.

The almost telepathic understanding between electric fullback James Tedesco and rookie halfback Luke Brooks has been the talk of the NRL.

Buhrer conceded the pair would be very difficult to shut down.

“Those guys have been great, we definitely need to keep them quiet,’’ the one time NSW Origin player said.

“The Tigers forward pack is also a little different to what we are used to – they are mobile and a bit more direct­.

“No doubt the crowd will be an influence as well, Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt is always a tough place for opposition teams to play.

“I haven’t played an NRL game there, I am looking forward to it.”

Buhrer also revealed the intense scrutiny over whether Glenn Stewart would be staying or leaving at the end of the season had not been a distraction for the playing group.

“It is the nature of the salary cap these days,’’ he said.

“We just play football, we are all professionals, that is our focus as a team.

“Obviously we would love him (Stewart) to stay, we will just have to wait and see what happens.

“I am off contract myself at the end of the year, my preference is to stay as well, but I leave all that stuff in the hands of my manager.

“If I am playing good football everything will take care of itself.”

Buhrer has thrived recently after being handed increased game time by Geoff Toovey. “I have been pleased with how things are going, but we need to keep working hard,’’ he said.


Andrew Prentice
Manly Daily

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/sunday-lookout-for-tedesco-and-brooks/story-fngr8iii-1226873825474