DIEHARD
03-02-10, 11:00 AM
Jets nab gridiron star Moses
http://media.apnonline.com.au/img/media/images/2010/01/20/IQT_21-01-2010_SPORT_06_ETCHmanu18a_fct500x308x41_t325.jpg
Former Kansas State University football star Moses Manu.
IPSWICH Jets have turned to a 110kg gridiron playing powerhouse named Moses for deliverance.
The Jets classy acquisition is former Kansas State University football star Moses Manu and he has more than just the name to suggest he can lead Ipswich to Queensland Cup glory.
Most importantly, he has the credentials.
It is a safe bet that no other Queensland Cup player has played before crowds as big as the 24-year-old social science graduate is used to.
You can throw NRL players into that mix too.
?At college Kansas State averaged 70,000 to a game and when we played big schools like University of Texas and University of Oklahoma there would be 110,000,? Manu said.
?The atmosphere was unbelievable. And they were diehard fans. Our colours were purple and for the home games the whole stadium would be full and just a sea of purple.?
Manu?s biography on the Kansas State University website is as good as it gets.
The first sentence says it all: ?Tough, hard-nosed defensive end with a motor that never quits....?
Consistency is another asset as Manu also played the maximum number of games for two consecutive seasons (2006 and 2007).
Born in Tonga, Manu was 16 when his parents moved from Sydney to the US for work opportunities.
He?d previously played rugby league for Cabramatta and union at Marylands as a junior.
It was at Kansas State that Manu made a name for himself as a defensive end in the top Division 1 competition where he played for the maximum of four years.
?I didn?t know anything about gridiron when I got there, but it was the closest thing to rugby league that was available,? he said.
?I really hated it at first ? just all the gear and the way it stops and starts all the time ? but I became good at it and eventually made all the teams.
?I could have played NFL if I?d put my mind to it but after finishing college I made up my mind to give rugby and league a go. I?ve always had a passion for both sports.?
The big question Jets fans will be having right now is: How will Manu go at league?
Early signs are that he should be a powerhouse.
After playing with the Newtown Jets in 2009 Manu was signed by Jets CEO Brad Wolens at the end of last year.
?Moses has been an absolute surprise packet since he turned up here,? Wolens said.
?When I first signed him he was 120 kilos but when I picked him up at the airport four weeks later he?d already lost 10 kilos.
?Then he turned up the first night for fitness testing and was third in our beep test for the entire club.
?I think he?ll be a player who will demand an enormous amount of respect.?
Coach Glenn Lazarus said Manu was ?leading everything? at training and would provide the club with a real X factor.
?I can see things in Moses where he is a little green, but if he gets hold of you I think you?ll know he?s around,? Lazarus warned.
?I think Newtown had him as a prop but he could end up being a barnstorming centre. You can see that he is physically right for the game and I am really looking forward to seeing him play.?
Manu said he was ?enjoying the quiet life? in Ipswich with partner Hayley and looking forward to becoming a father in August.
http://www.qt.com.au/
http://media.apnonline.com.au/img/media/images/2010/01/20/IQT_21-01-2010_SPORT_06_ETCHmanu18a_fct500x308x41_t325.jpg
Former Kansas State University football star Moses Manu.
IPSWICH Jets have turned to a 110kg gridiron playing powerhouse named Moses for deliverance.
The Jets classy acquisition is former Kansas State University football star Moses Manu and he has more than just the name to suggest he can lead Ipswich to Queensland Cup glory.
Most importantly, he has the credentials.
It is a safe bet that no other Queensland Cup player has played before crowds as big as the 24-year-old social science graduate is used to.
You can throw NRL players into that mix too.
?At college Kansas State averaged 70,000 to a game and when we played big schools like University of Texas and University of Oklahoma there would be 110,000,? Manu said.
?The atmosphere was unbelievable. And they were diehard fans. Our colours were purple and for the home games the whole stadium would be full and just a sea of purple.?
Manu?s biography on the Kansas State University website is as good as it gets.
The first sentence says it all: ?Tough, hard-nosed defensive end with a motor that never quits....?
Consistency is another asset as Manu also played the maximum number of games for two consecutive seasons (2006 and 2007).
Born in Tonga, Manu was 16 when his parents moved from Sydney to the US for work opportunities.
He?d previously played rugby league for Cabramatta and union at Marylands as a junior.
It was at Kansas State that Manu made a name for himself as a defensive end in the top Division 1 competition where he played for the maximum of four years.
?I didn?t know anything about gridiron when I got there, but it was the closest thing to rugby league that was available,? he said.
?I really hated it at first ? just all the gear and the way it stops and starts all the time ? but I became good at it and eventually made all the teams.
?I could have played NFL if I?d put my mind to it but after finishing college I made up my mind to give rugby and league a go. I?ve always had a passion for both sports.?
The big question Jets fans will be having right now is: How will Manu go at league?
Early signs are that he should be a powerhouse.
After playing with the Newtown Jets in 2009 Manu was signed by Jets CEO Brad Wolens at the end of last year.
?Moses has been an absolute surprise packet since he turned up here,? Wolens said.
?When I first signed him he was 120 kilos but when I picked him up at the airport four weeks later he?d already lost 10 kilos.
?Then he turned up the first night for fitness testing and was third in our beep test for the entire club.
?I think he?ll be a player who will demand an enormous amount of respect.?
Coach Glenn Lazarus said Manu was ?leading everything? at training and would provide the club with a real X factor.
?I can see things in Moses where he is a little green, but if he gets hold of you I think you?ll know he?s around,? Lazarus warned.
?I think Newtown had him as a prop but he could end up being a barnstorming centre. You can see that he is physically right for the game and I am really looking forward to seeing him play.?
Manu said he was ?enjoying the quiet life? in Ipswich with partner Hayley and looking forward to becoming a father in August.
http://www.qt.com.au/