Matt Moylan follows the likes of Wade Graham, Michael Gordon and Luke Lewis from Penrith to Cronulla
WADE Graham has fearlessly predicted new Sharks recruit Matt Moylan will bounce back to his absolute best at Cronulla next season.
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SHARKS’ captain-in-waiting, Wade Graham, has fearlessly predicted club recruit Matt Moylan will bounce back to his absolute best — and become “best player on the field” again — at Cronulla next season.
“Matty has always had that talent — those brilliant ball skills, those silky skills. He’ll be sweet,” Graham said.
“Once he gets through this tough period and settles back into work, back playing footy, you’ll see the best of him, he will come through this a better player I reckon.”
Moylan’s move to Cronulla in a player swap with James Maloney is expected to be finalised either Thursday or Friday.
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Moylan will walk a well-worn path from Penrith to Cronulla, following Graham, Luke Lewis and Michael Gordon.
Graham and Moylan are mates from Sydney’s west. They grew up just two kilometres apart, Moylan at Doonside, Graham from Blacktown. The pair have been exchanging text messages of late.
“There will always be a few tough periods in your career. Matty will come through it. Once he gets over the injuries, gets into a pre-season and finds a rhythm — he is too much a talent not to come through it,” Graham said.
“He can easily be the best player in his team, the best player on the field, in any game he plays.
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“He’ll be right — Matty is a good fella. It will be a bit of a change but he will be fine. Sometimes things don’t pan out — you go somewhere else and things happen. Look at Luke Lewis. He had to leave Penrith, two years later he won a comp.
“You just never know what is around the corner. I’m really confident that once we get a hold of him, he will be right. He will settle in and be sweet. Hopefully we can see the best of Matty Moylan on the field next year.
“I have known Matty since we were eight or nine. He played at St Clair and then he gave footy away for a bit — he just played touch footy with his brothers. Just as I was leaving Penrith, I played in the under 20s with Matty.”
Moylan’s career has stalled at Penrith — he has fought mental demons, been stood down from playing and had a fallout with coach Anthony Griffin.
Graham believes a change of club will inspire Moylan to new heights.
“I feel like he will really fit into our playing group to be honest. It’s no secret the last six months haven’t been the best for Matty,” Graham said.
“There has been some off-field stuff and on-field stuff. We have all been through it. He was still playing good footy but injuries disrupted his rhythm. The stuff off the field snowballed.”
Maloney will leave two holes at Cronulla — one as a star player, the other as the club’s prankster.
“I’m definitely going to miss Jimmy — he’s certainly a character. As much as he drives you bananas, he is good for a laugh,” Graham said.
“His ability on the footy field can’t be questioned. Look at what he has done at the Warriors, Roosters, ourselves. He’s a winner. It speaks for itself.
“There will definitely be a hole there we are going to have to work on.”
Graham will play his third successive Test when he confronts Lebanon at Allianz Stadium this Saturday night. He scored a famous four tries in his last outing against France in Canberra.
A Kangaroos debut, State of Origin jumper and grand final win — Graham is on a roll.
“It hasn’t always been the straightest path but I am very grateful for the past two years,” Graham said. “Fortunately for me, I just turned 27 two weeks ago. There’s still a bit of time left in me.
“I am in a good place off the field as well. I enjoy challenging myself to be better at footy. I probably have a lot more influence at Cronulla now.
“Helping Cronulla have success is very fulfilling. They haven’t always been a successful club.
“The club has become successful now and the challenge is to keep it there. To get success is one thing, to maintain success is a bigger thing.
“Hopefully I can play really well this weekend and put my hand up for a spot in the team come finals time. You want to play in the big games come the end of the tournament.”