Matt Moylan is proof you can lead without being the captain.
The Cronulla five-eighth was thrust into the responsibility early in his career, when asked to take over from Peter Wallace as Penrith skipper in 2016. Given the honour ahead of senior players Wallace, Jamie Soward, Trent Merrin and Elijah Taylor, Moylan became – at the age of 24 – the youngest captain in the NRL at the time.
By his own admission, the captaincy proved a burden, one that he doesn’t have to shoulder during what has become a career resurgence at the Sharks.
“I’m probably more comfortable not doing it,” Moylan said. “You just enjoy going out there and playing footy, just mucking around. You can be serious when you need to be.
“We obviously have a couple of good leaders here already with Wade [Graham] and Dale [Finucane] coming to the club and Nicho [Hynes] does a great job with that as well.
“I do a bit of it, but not too much. We’ve also got a guy like Tols [Aiden Tolman] who has played 300 games, [Andrew] Fifita is over 250. We have a lot of experience there. In a way, I’m just out there playing footy and just doing my role and just enjoying it.”
All smiles: Matt Moylan’s 2022 campaign has breathed life into his career.Credit:Getty Images
He may not have the “C” next to his name, but Moylan and halves partner Hynes are providing guidance to a Cronulla outfit that is within touching distance of a home final. The pair have combined superbly in their first season together, as proven by their contribution against Manly in what was Moylan’s first game back from quad injury.
Moylan was at a crossroads after his initial big-money Sharks deal expired. The former NSW Blues playmaker struggled with injuries and had to accept a one-year offer coming into this season. However, he is playing some of his best football under coach Craig Fitzgibbon and recently inked a new two-year deal.
“Obviously, he’s had a big influence on the club and personally for myself,” Moylan said. “He’s given me a lot of confidence and the style of play that we have, how he allows us to play, definitely suits how I like to play.”
The other key connection is Hynes. The pair knew each other socially, but had never previously played together. Not that you could tell.
“The connection started early in preseason, it felt like we’d played alongside each other before,” Moylan said. “Obviously, it’s not the finished product and we’ve got a lot of work to do, but it’s been good playing alongside him. He’s an exciting player. Nicho has definitely brought some good footy out of me.
“It’s the combination we have, along with Brayles [hooker Jayden Brailey] as well. We see the game the same way, we want to play footy.”
A string of injuries, particularly of the hamstring variety, limited Moylan to 19 games in seasons 2018-19. However, he has already exceeded that figure this year, with Saturday’s clash against Canterbury to be his 21st appearance of the current campaign.
“Just being able to train, my body has been good, touch wood,” Moylan said when asked about the reason for his consistent form. “Being able to train each week and each session, this is the first time I have missed training this year when I did the quad.”
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