Forget if it was early this year or late last year when the eels home page put up their profile page of players. Unlike some clubs that only show 25 players, the eels had around 40, but slowly whittled it down.
I commented on the dark/backgrounds to the photo's & how the players themselves looked quite dark & in some ways featureless or having darker complexions especially for the white players, even Alvaro looked as if he had spent a lot of time getting a tan.
Tonight I went to the eels site & the latest gallery photo's of the teams training today was featured, with 37 photo's. What struck me was the primary photo showed who I believe was Ma'u, a repeat of #6 photo.
This photo & the look on Ma'u's face was incredible, the quirky smile & the steely look in his eyes grabbed me, it was almost a wicked omen like look, to dare oppositions to take him on, but there was a resolve in the look that I have never seen before. As I sat back & looked at it more I noticed the surrounding page that shows the team side by side at Pirtek. with floodlights & a fading natural light behind the stand.
The whole photo is set in a semi dark setting with two large floodlights giving a sort of foreboding appearance to the whole scene. Manu's photo tops it off.
If ever a photo captured this year for the eels I felt right now this has done what no real possed photo could ever capture in planning, but here it is by accident as it were. This has had to be the darkest year in the history of the eels, yet there with folded arms of determination is the reflection of both natural & floodlights onto this group of players, top it with Ma'u in the centre & it truly is surreal.
Do the lights reflecting from behind show us that despite all the blackness of this dark year show that there is truly full light ahead of the club & the team. That wicked steely smile of Ma'u brings the determination of the group right to the front, & saying come on try & stop us all.
NO MATTA WHO IS TRYING TO KNOCK US DOWN<> THAT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
Replies
Great blog Col, lets hope we can hold onto the bloke, i haven't seen the pics i'll have to go take a look.
Col it sounds like your developing a bit of a man crush on Manu ;)
Snake. Some of the recent interviews & after game showings of Ma'u had him pretty stern in appearances, & it had me wondering about the reports that still float around about him being unhappy at the eels. Certainly his on field performances have not indicated an unhappy person, & that photo I mention makes one think there's not much to it.
I can admire men in what they contribute especially those that have done it tough & then set about getting their lives back on track, sad some of the younger players cannot learn by Manu's life & what it cost him.
Our Second grade might make a run for the semi's with a few guys out of rehab - Tanginoa; Folau; Cornish; Toutai and Pritchard.
Browny, that is more than likely the steely like stare that Ma'u is showing in the photo I am referring to. The end of the season will see the club do it hard but they will be a team that will not lay down, the biggest challenge for them is to pace themselves a bit better, they cannot afford to have a off time in any part of the game like Sunday.
They want to win at all costs which is good.