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Swanepoel revels in his pivotal role
4 Aug 10 @ 04:15pm by Joe Barton
Manly's Mark Swanepoel has taken on the pivotal role of five-eighth in the absence of regular no. 10 Ben Seymour, who is out for the season with an ankle injury. PIC CREDIT: Virginia Young.
DESPITE being just 19 years old, Mark Swanepoel has covered plenty of ground for his career and now he is ready to deliver a premiership to Manly.
The Western Force halfback has warmed to the role of star No.10 with the Marlins in recent weeks, following the ankle ligaments injury to regular five-eighth Ben Seymour six weeks ago.
But with fears that Seymour’s injury, initially expected to sideline him for two months, could be season-ending, Swanepoel’s versatility suddenly becomes indispensable.
“Ben Seymour’s a great player, but unfortunately I don’t think he’s going to be back, because he is still trying to get his ankle right,” Swanepoel told The Manly Daily on Wednesday.
“Initially, it was going to be a 6-8 week injury, but when they went in for surgery to clean up a few things it was worse than they thought.”
The natural halfback, who has made great strides in transforming his game, admits he is still learning the specialist role of five-eighth, which he has never played at top level.
“Particularly over the last couple of weeks, I’m definitely feeling more comfortable in the role,” he said.
“I’ve got good blokes inside and outside me, and we’re working behind a dominant forward pack. That makes things a lot easier.
“I’ve pretty much played halfback my whole rugby career.
“At first it was really new and I felt myself running into halfback a couple of times before I got yelled at by (Chris) Cottee, but as the weeks have progressed I’ve found myself more comfortable and I know I’m not meant to be in so close.”
One thing is for sure, with a big crowd expected for Saturday’s blockbuster against Eastwood at Manly Oval, Swanepoel’s fan club will be making plenty of noise.
“My dad flies down (from Queensland) for most games, and he says he wants to be at home games from now on,” he said.
“My brother and sister will come down and my mum comes down, so when they’re all there (the crowd) expands by a few.”
The top-of-the-table clash kicks off at 3pm on Saturday at Manly Oval.
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au...-pivotal-role/
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