Winners are grinners..Nate Myles enjoys an Origin series victory lap at Suncorp Stadium. Photo: NRL Photos.
The criticism of Manly prop Nate Myles’ selection in the Queensland Origin team is not warranted in the eyes of his Sea Eagles team-mates.
Myles will play his 30th Origin match for Queensland this Wednesday night and has played a major role up front in the Maroons' dominance of NSW in recent years.
However, many rugby league supporters feel his selection for Game 1 was based more on loyalty than the form shown so far in his first season with the Sea Eagles.
Jake Trbojevic, who shifted from prop to lock for Myles this season, says the work shown by Myles should never be questioned.
“Nate has been great for us all year. His leadership qualities and the way he conducts himself at training, and on the field, has been great for all of us to see,’’ Trbojevic said.
“We have really enjoyed having him at the club. He is really tough, quality player. He has been going well all year.”
Tongan prop Siosaia Vave said supporters don’t always see the work Myles does off the ball.
“Nate has been doing a lot of work up front. Our starts have been really bad but he has been great defensively,’’ Vave said.
“He does three or four times as many tackles as some of the boys off the bench. People don’t take that into factor. They might not see the small things he does. He is big leader for us and does a great job.”
Manly and Queensland Assistant Coach Anthony Seibold said a lot of the work Myles does off the ball goes unnoticed.
“Nate does a lot of things that aren’t skill related. They are effort related, whether it is kick chase, kick pressure, or inside pressure,’’ Seibold said.
“It is not just what you do on the ball but it is what you do off the ball as well. A lot of what makes an NRL player a good player is the effort areas of the game, not the skill related areas.
“His effort areas have been very high and his mentoring of the younger players has been exceptional."
