The situation at Manly has delivered a silver lining to at least one person โ former Dally M Hooker of the Year James Segeyaro.
The former Cowboy, Panther, Shark and Bronco will run onto the field on Thursday for the first time since 2019, when he received a 20-month suspension after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The positive test allegedly came after using a housemateโs blender.
Segeyaro was signed on a train-and-trial deal by the Sea Eagles back in May as they looked to address growing injury concerns. Heโs been biding his time and excelling in the lower grades but is now ready for a return to the NRL after the โEveryone in Leagueโ jersey fiasco resulted in seven Manly players opting out of the game on Thursday evening.
โObviously I got the opportunity due to circumstances, but that doesnโt change the fact that Iโve been working to achieve this for several seasons,โ Segeyaro said.
โI never gave up.
โIโm grateful for Des (Haslerโs) faith in me. Iโm looking forward to it but I have a job to focus on and Iโm confident of playing that role for the team.โ
Segeyaroโs return comes a week later than intended. He was meant to come in for covid-affected Lachlan Croker last round but was unable to take the field due to a niggling injury.
At 31 years of age and with 154 NRL games under his belt, heโll be an excellent source of experience and a key spine addition for the makeshift Manly side ahead of their crucial clash with the Roosters.
