A positive story on Moyza
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/fi...s-morris-halves-headache-20201222-p56pk0.html
The signs are so positive for Cronulla enigma Matt Moylan he has been hailed the Sharks' best trainer leading into Christmas.
Moylan looked a picture of health at the club's final training session for the year, and if he can stay fit for the opening couple of months of next season, he, alongside Chad Townsend and the returning Shaun Johnson, will create a welcome halves headache for coach John Morris.
Matt Moylan in full flight at training on Tuesday.CREDIT:SAM MOOY/SMH
A few Cronulla players have been in the wars in recent weeks, including Will Kennedy, who went down in pain after rolling his ankle for the second time in as many weeks on Tuesday, along with Andrew Fifita, who injured a calf playing in the Tribal League, and Sione Katoa, who required surgery on his foot after he trod on a sea urchin while fishing.
But Moylan has been humming, with Morris praising the former representative who was limited to just 19 games the past two seasons.
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An in-form Moylan would be a welcome boost for Morris's hopes of securing a new deal beyond next season, a subject the coach did not want to address on Tuesday.
The Cronulla star has been hailed as the club's best trainer leading into Christmas.CREDIT:SAM MOOY/SMH
"'Moyza' has been impressive - he's probably been our best,'' Morris told the
Herald. "You would have seen then how he ran over 19 in the yo-yo test. He's put in a lot of hard work during this first block [of training] and he's been rewarded for that.
"He's been able to manage this period well and made a lot of sacrifices away from footy, which I'm sure has had a lot to do with it. He's invested a lot of time into his body. He's sought other methods around making his hammys stronger. Our high-performance manager Nathan Pickworth has also been outstanding for him.
"In the past, sometimes less is not always the best way with Moyza, and you need to try and push him a bit to get that load and durability into his body.
"And as an outcome of now doing that high-load training, his performances have gone through the roof and I'm really proud of him.''
Johnson's ruptured Achilles means he will not return for the first couple of months for the Sharks campaign, and Morris said Moylan ''is in the box seat to make the position his own for the early part of the year''.
Andrew Fifita was impossible to miss with his new haircut.CREDIT:SAM MOOY/SMH
Sparing him the extra running at fullback would also help Moylan's dodgy hamstrings.
"He played five-eighth in 2018 on the left with Wade [Graham], so he's accustomed to that position. [Braydon] Trindall, Luke Metcalf and Connor Tracey, who has also had an impressive pre-season, can play [No. 6] as well. But Moyza is having a good crack at it.''
Fifita stood out with a funky new haircut and continues to drop weight after being forced to miss the start of pre-season because of a calf injured suffered during the Tribal League, the Indigenous competition played over three weekends last month
Like Moylan, Fifita oozes natural talent but was limited to just a dozen games himself in 2020.
"He upset a calf muscle and lost a couple of weeks, but he's getting going and we're looking to bring his body weight down to well under 120kg - he's not too far off it, and with the new rules it helps carrying less,'' Morris said.
Fullback Kennedy winced in pain at the start of Tuesday's hitout on a murky morning in the Shire, but Morris said the youngster was expected to be fine when the team reconvened in the new year.
And Katoa was also due back after his foot ballooned following the run-in with a sea urchin while fishing. Morris said the winger required surgery to help flush out the wound.
