Silver lining for milestone man Mbye

When Moses Mbye runs out onto Leichhardt Oval for his 150th NRL on Sunday afternoon, it will be a bittersweet moment for the experienced playmaker.

With no fans permitted at the Round 16 clash against South Sydney, Mbye will play his milestone game in front of an empty stadium and without family and friends to cheer him on.

Although it’s not an ideal way to celebrate a significant occasion, Mbye is grateful to have reached the milestone and to have the competition continue during lockdown.

“It’s unfortune but I’m very fortunate that we’re still able to earn our living and do our profession,” Mbye said ahead of his 150th NRL game.

“There are issues going on all around the world, and locally, I’ve got friends and family who aren’t able to work at the moment because of the current situation.

“I’m just grateful that I can come in here to be around my friends and play the sport I love playing — that’s enough benefit for me.”

Mbye will be hoping his side can produce a better performance this week following a disappointing loss a fortnight ago.  

“We were disappointed with the result [against Melbourne], but we’ve got to put it behind us,” he said.

“We’ve been training hard on the paddock. We’ve got to look ahead to this week now — we’ve got a lot to improve on after that smacking.

“We’re up against another quality opposition with some quality players and we need to put together a better performance, that’s for sure.

“Everyone has turned up with a great attitude and we’re training hard. Everyone is willing to recognise what they’ve done wrong and trying to identify areas we need to improve most."