Journey Man
Read this article of codswallop with the benefit of hindsight:
Keep in mind the following:
Kings vs Parra - 1 hit up for 7 metres.
The Manly Daily gets dacked by Zorba yet again!
HURT and stung into action by the most embarrassing performance of his career, Manly prop Jason King has vowed to make a difference when the Sea Eagles face off against Parramatta in Sunday's qualifying final.
King copped the brunt of criticism following Manly's record loss to Cronulla last month after statistics revealed his poor workrate in the match.
The 24-year-old front-rower only carted the ball up twice in his 43 minutes on the field for a total gain of just 13m.
But those damning stats brought about a change in attitude from the big front-rower, who has secretly played through injury for much of the season.
``I was devastated after that . . . I had a couple of things on my mind and as professional footballer it shouldn't have had an effect,'' he said.
``I've been working really hard on the mental side of the game since.
``I've turned the corner and I'm going into the game a lot more positive and really wanting to make a contribution.''
On the criticism he received, King shot back: ``If they want to have a dig at me they can have a dig at me.
``I'm open to criticism the same as everybody is.
``I've put that behind me and have moved on.''
Former international and Manly for wards coach Steve Roach believes King was unfairly targeted after the Sharks debacle but is now playing his best football of the year.
``Kingy was embarrassed by that performance but he's not Robinson Crusoe there,'' he said.
``The truth is he's played a lot of games injured but being a humble sort of bloke he hasn't carried on about it.
``He knows if you put yourself out there you cop what comes your way, but he's a tough kid and he's coming good at the right time of the season.''
Now King, who went to school across the road from Brookvale Oval, wants to play a leading role in helping Manly to an upset win over the Eels at Parramatta Stadium.
``It's unbelievable to finally get the opportunity to play in the finals,'' he said.
``Normally at this time of the year we've had Mad Monday and the season is over.
``There is a big buzz around the place. We'll go out there and have a big dig and see what happens from there.
``We've got a couple of awesome leaders in the pack and they're a big inspiration for us and the rest of us feed off that.''
Manly trained again yesterday, with winger Chris Hicks continuing to make a steady recovery from an ankle injury.
Keep in mind the following:
Kings vs Parra - 1 hit up for 7 metres.
The Manly Daily gets dacked by Zorba yet again!
HURT and stung into action by the most embarrassing performance of his career, Manly prop Jason King has vowed to make a difference when the Sea Eagles face off against Parramatta in Sunday's qualifying final.
King copped the brunt of criticism following Manly's record loss to Cronulla last month after statistics revealed his poor workrate in the match.
The 24-year-old front-rower only carted the ball up twice in his 43 minutes on the field for a total gain of just 13m.
But those damning stats brought about a change in attitude from the big front-rower, who has secretly played through injury for much of the season.
``I was devastated after that . . . I had a couple of things on my mind and as professional footballer it shouldn't have had an effect,'' he said.
``I've been working really hard on the mental side of the game since.
``I've turned the corner and I'm going into the game a lot more positive and really wanting to make a contribution.''
On the criticism he received, King shot back: ``If they want to have a dig at me they can have a dig at me.
``I'm open to criticism the same as everybody is.
``I've put that behind me and have moved on.''
Former international and Manly for wards coach Steve Roach believes King was unfairly targeted after the Sharks debacle but is now playing his best football of the year.
``Kingy was embarrassed by that performance but he's not Robinson Crusoe there,'' he said.
``The truth is he's played a lot of games injured but being a humble sort of bloke he hasn't carried on about it.
``He knows if you put yourself out there you cop what comes your way, but he's a tough kid and he's coming good at the right time of the season.''
Now King, who went to school across the road from Brookvale Oval, wants to play a leading role in helping Manly to an upset win over the Eels at Parramatta Stadium.
``It's unbelievable to finally get the opportunity to play in the finals,'' he said.
``Normally at this time of the year we've had Mad Monday and the season is over.
``There is a big buzz around the place. We'll go out there and have a big dig and see what happens from there.
``We've got a couple of awesome leaders in the pack and they're a big inspiration for us and the rest of us feed off that.''
Manly trained again yesterday, with winger Chris Hicks continuing to make a steady recovery from an ankle injury.