We know about Jamie Lyon's on-field exploits, but off the field he's a devout family man, writes Greg Prichard.
JAMIE LYON'S three-year-old son, Riley, has stopped asking the Manly five-eighth to score a try for him. Apparently, it's been so long since "Killer" crossed the stripe that the little fellow got sick of waiting.
"I've been in a drought," Lyon said. "Riley told his grandmother that he's not going to ask me any more, because I haven't been scoring. I owe him a few, so I'd better come up with one for him soon. That's the sort of thing that makes footy fun."
It's actually not that long since Lyon last scored. It was in round 17, against Gold Coast, and he didn't play at all from round 20 to 25, because of a knee injury.
That can seem like forever to one so young, and Lyon admits he wouldn't mind a try himself. He has gone from scoring 46 in 95 games before this year to just five in 20 this season, but that is understandable, given his positional switch. Formerly a centre, his main job now, at five-eighth, is to make tries, rather than score them.
We all know what Lyon can do on the field. It is what gets him to that point that we don't see, and it's not just about training and preparation. As gifted a talent as he is, Lyon nearly threw it all away when, as a 22-year-old with a lot on his mind, he walked out on Parramatta after just one round of the 2004 season. Four years later, it is contentment that drives his career.
"My family is the main thing," Lyon said. "Riley, Jed [20 months], and my wife, Ellie. They are the lights of my life. Riley is a Manly tragic. He wears his jumper every day. He knows the nickname of every player - 'Wolfman', 'Beaver', all of them. He brings his flag out when he's watching the game. He knows what's happening out there."
It was that concern for his family that convinced Lyon to walk away from representative football this year, at just 26. For Lyon, it was a no-brainer.
"I've got a young family and I just wanted to stay at home," he said.
"You're away for a long time in camp for rep matches, and that was the biggest problem. I got picked in the Country team, but my youngest boy burnt his hand and they thought he might have to have skin grafts. I spoke to Laurie [Daley, the Country coach] and let him know I wasn't going to be able to play. That really made me think about my rep future, and when Craig [Bellamy, the NSW coach] rang me, I told him I wasn't really interested in playing Origin.
"The passion and the drive weren't there. I just wanted to concentrate on club footy, and he was happy I was up front with him. My thoughts haven't changed since."
Lyon knows he could have handled his exit from Parramatta better, but he looks back at it as having been part of a learning curve for him.
"I just needed to get away from town," he said. "I was still a bit young at the time, and I should have done things differently, but I was just sick of footy. My missus had just lost our first baby, so there were a few things running around inside my head. I was just over footy.
"Some of the criticism I copped for going was probably justified, but it got to my family and friends more than it got to me. My mates at Wee Waa, it stirred them right up.
"But you've got to put that sort of stuff behind you. If you get caught up in it all, you're going to stress. The last few years have been really good. I've been fortunate to make some rep teams and play in some very good club teams - here, and in England. When I look back on it all, in 10 or 20 years, I know I'm going to be very grateful."
Lyon has his thoughts on the big issues. He thinks the level of media and public scrutiny of players is sometimes unfair, but adds: "If you go out and do the wrong thing and get into trouble for it, you can't complain. If you're on the big money, that's part and parcel of the game."
And the grapple tackle is the worst advertisement for the game. "Mothers debate which sport to put their kids in," he said. "I don't think they look at it [the grapple tackle] with any confidence that their kid won't get hurt.
"There have only been a couple of times when I've felt I was in dangerous position, when someone has put a grapple tackle on me, and that was a couple of years ago. I think the NRL's doing a good job of getting rid of it. I definitely want it out of the game."
Lyon says that, apart from spending time with his family, he plays golf and goes to the beach to get his mind off football. Plus, there is the occasional trip back to the country with his mentor - Manly recruitment officer Noel Cleal - to hunt pigs.
Tomorrow night, Lyon and his Manly teammates will be in front of the madding crowd, trying to reverse the result of last year's grand final against Melbourne. Asked why he believed Manly would win, Lyon said: "Last year's experience was good for us. It will drive us. We did choke, pretty much, in the grand final. We played our worst game. But the best sportsmen in the world have had days or nights like that. You've just got to come to terms with it and move on. We're a much better team now."