Eels interim coach Trent Barrett and skipper Clint Gutherson have taken a lighthearted dig and forward Shaun Lane following the club’s must-needed win over Cronulla.
Lane has seen his role change in recent weeks, coming off the bench and playing as middle forward.
He had one of his better games of the season against the Sharks in limited action, running for 65 metres and recording two tackle busts and two offloads in 26 minutes on the park.
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When asked by a reporter for a comment on Lane’s performance, Barrett provided quite the backhanded compliment which elicited laughter from Gutherson.
“When we can get 80 minutes out of (back rowers) Kelma (Tuilagi) and Carty (Bryce Cartwright) it frees us up to do a few things with our bench,” Barrett said.
“And just with Laney, it takes all the thinking out of him by throwing him in the middle. He’s a big body and that’s how he can help us.”
Fox League’s Lara Pitt then asked: “Why is that funny?”
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“No comment,” Gutherson replied.
“Very intelligent man Laney,” Barrett said with a chuckle just as the press conference ended.
Earlier in the press conference, both Barrett and Gutherson noted the importance of Mitch Moses in the line-up.
Moses was playing his first game in over two months after missing time with a broken foot.
The halfback had three try assists on resumption, while Gutherson was also prolific (245m) in a return from a knee injury.
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“It’s the confidence I think that (Mitch and Clint) give everyone else, and their talk,” Barrett said.
“You could tell in the warm-up and we could notice at training there was a notable difference.
“That’s why (Gutherson) is the captain and that’s why Mitch is the halfback and that’s what they bring.
“It’s just his kicking game and his direction that we miss and he’s a dominant personality and that’s why he’s a halfback and that’s what we have missed and he was excellent tonight.
“He’s so important to us.”
“He’s our halfback for a reason,” Gutherson said.
“He’s probably one of the best halfbacks in the league at the moment. If you’re missing him then it’s a big loss. The confidence he brings to the team and to everyone at the club when he’s playing is a big thing.
“For him to go out there and back it up against the team that’s coming first, off a 12-week break, it’s a credit to him.”