The Bulldogs won’t miss Trent Hodkinson at halfback, says Moses Mbye

MOSES Mbye has shrugged off suggestions you need a structured halfback to win the NRL premiership, saying: “I’ll keep playing the way that got me here”.

Moses Mbye of the Bulldogs during the Manly Sea Eagles v Canterbury Bulldogs NRL round 1 game at Brookvale Oval. pic Mark Evans

MOSES Mbye has shrugged off suggestions you need a structured halfback to win the NRL premiership, saying: “I’ll keep playing the way that got me here”.

Outstanding against Penrith on Thursday night, where he scored two tries and orchestrated a third, Mbye insists he and halves partner Josh Reynolds can continue with their instinctive attacking style in 2017.

It comes as Canterbury will likely be without enforcer Dave Klemmer for a fortnight after he was again charged for contrary conduct with a referee on Friday. Skipper James Graham, however, escaped sanction for an alleged shoulder charge and will be free to play Parramatta next Friday.

With Bulldogs and NSW halfback Trent Hodkinson having switched to Newcastle over summer, the Dogs now boast two halves who, in Mbye and Reynolds, are renowned for their roving, unstructured style.

So what does Mbye say to those critics who, since March, have been warning Canterbury will miss Hodkinson’s structured play?

“I’m the halfback at this club right now and of course it’s my job to steer the side around,’’ Mbye said. “That’s what I’m here to do.

“Trent leaving, that’s opened the door but it doesn’t mean I’m going to change.

“The reason I’m here is because I play the way I do.

“And I’ll keep playing the way that got me here.

Moses Mbye celebrates his winning try with 20 seconds to go against Penrith. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“Des picks the side on what he wants to see ... so I guess that’s the style he wants me to play.”

Mbye added, however, that he had also learned plenty from the departed Blues playmaker.

“Trent’s such an experienced player — cool, calm. collected — and he taught me so much,’’ the livewire No. 7 continued.

“He was a massive asset for me and my game. I can’t speak highly enough of the guy and know Newcastle have got themselves a great asset.”

Meanwhile, Klemmer looks set to pay a second penalty for his now infamous Good Friday spray, after again being charged with contrary conduct against referees.

The Dogs enforcer, who also missed the season opener through suspension, was given a grade one charge after making contact with whistleblower Ben Cummins in Thursday’s 18-16 win over Penrith.

The incident, which occurred after 55 minutes, saw Klemmer place his hand on Cummins’s shoulder after the referee blew a penalty against the Dogs.

It’s understood Klemmer was trying to divert the official’s attention to teammate Josh Reynolds, who was hit, legally, moments earlier.

It is the second such offence for Klemmer, who also attracted headlines for an altercation with Gerard Sutton in last year’s Good Friday clash with South Sydney. That incident saw him banned three games and attracts a 50 per cent loading.

Originally published as The Bulldogs won’t miss Trent Hodkinson at halfback, says Moses Mbye