Defensive challenge has Matt Moylan primed to take next step
CRONULLA recruit Matt Moylan quite literally shapes as a more imposing threat in his side’s push for NRL premiership glory.
NRL
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IT’S late afternoon and the Cronulla Sharks gym is empty except for one man.
The majority of the Sharks players have gone home after a long day of training but one has decided to stay behind for extras.
As the sun sets, covering the gym in shadows, five-eighth Matt Moylan can be seen slogging away on the bench press.
Moylan isn’t your stereotypical gym junkie but he has made a personal vow to Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan to bulk up.
When the former Penrith back joined the Sharks last November, he had a frank discussion with Flanagan about adding kilos to improve his defence.
Flash forward to today and Moylan is benefiting big time from his coach’s challenge.
“Matty’s body shape has changed a lot,” Flanagan told League Central.
“He has worked really hard in the gym and he is always last to leave all sessions.
“As a result he has put on more muscle mass, he is stronger and he is playing in the front line and defending really well.
“We saw some of those tackles against Penrith. He couldn’t have done that previously.”
ALL GROWN UP
Thanks to Moylan’s hard work in the gym, Flanagan believes the prodigious playmaker is primed to take the next step in his career.
Since making his NRL debut in 2013, the Baulkham Hills-born talent has never played in a grand final.
Moylan went within 80 minutes of a decider in 2014 when Penrith lost to Canterbury 18-12 in a preliminary final at ANZ Stadium.
He scored a try on the day but the Panthers were unable to stop the fast-finishing Bulldogs.
Moylan was only 23 and in his second full season of first grade at the time.
Now four years older and wiser, the former Panther has transformed his game at Cronulla.
Moylan is now more consistent, especially in the big moments, and Flanagan believes it was fate that he left his comfort zone at the Panthers for a sea change at the Sharks.
“Maybe the best thing for Matty was to leave Penrith because he has had to grow up a bit,” he said.
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“He has been fantastic since the day he has got here.
“He has been really open, honest and bought into what we are trying to do.
“I didn’t go too much into what happened at Penrith and what he was doing right or wrong.
“I just told him this is what we do at Cronulla and this is how you’ve got to fit in.
“I said you’ve got to train hard and hang out with the players off the field because they are all tight and Matty has bought into that.”
Flanagan said Moylan had also excelled in the attitude department.
He revealed the five-eighth constantly asked Cronulla’s coaches questions in a bid to become better.
“Matty loves to sit down with coaches and talk footy,” he said.
“I reckon he would spend hours on end if he could.
“Some blokes train and then go home but Matty Moylan would stay at training all day.”
BURDEN REMOVED
When Moylan was captain at Penrith last season, he played like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
At times he delivered moments of brilliance, while on other occasions he looked frustrated and fatigued.
There is no doubting the extra responsibility of being skipper, which includes multiple off-field commitments, took a toll on the quietly spoken half.
This burden has been removed at Cronulla thanks to a side loaded with veteran stars.
Flanagan believes the Sharks’ big-game experience has helped free Moylan up to worry about himself and play his natural running game.
“Here at the Sharks Matty is probably middle of the rung,” he said.
“We’ve got Gal, Luke Lewis and some other players that have been around for a long period of time like Bukuya and Prior who are both in their 30s.
“We are the oldest team in the NRL and it puts Matty right in the middle of it.
“I think the senior players help him a lot and he has grown up a fair bit.
“In our team he has just got to do his job and I think that suits him a lot better.”
SELFLESSNESS
Moylan has always been admired for his freakish individual skills but he can also make others look better.
Just ask Sharks star Valentine Holmes.
The Townsville-born flyer credits Moylan’s presence in attack for giving him the space to score 22 tries in 25 appearances this season.
“It helps that Matty is a runner as well,” Holmes said.
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“It keeps the front line guessing and focusing on him rather than just me.
“If it wasn’t for Matty with his ball playing and running skills, I wouldn’t have been set up as much this season.
“You get those normal halves that always pass and don’t really take the line on but Matty always takes the line on and it has helped me a lot.”
Holmes said the Sharks were determined to help Moylan break his decider hoodoo with a win over Melbourne tomorrow night.
“You can tell he is happy being one step closer to a grand final,” he said.
“I reckon he’ll be a bit excited and nervous this week but we’ll get around him.
“He is playing so well and I’m really happy for him.”