Lyon happy to answer Manly halves call

Manly’s attack is on track for its worst season since before the Super League war and retiring captain Jamie Lyon is ready to step in and answer the call.

The Dylan Walker playmaker experiment combined with the loss of Kieran Foran to Parramatta has seen the Sea Eagles slump to an average of just 17.27 points per game this year, leaving them headed toward their worst offensive record since 1992.

With new coach Trent Barrett scrambling to turn 12th-placed Manly’s (4-7) season around, centre Lyon is set to swap positions with Walker and return to the halves on a weekly basis for the first time in seven-and-a-half years.

“I’m quite happy to play there, it doesn’t worry me on bit,” Lyon said.

“I’m happy to play anywhere, Baz (Barrett) knows that, whatever is best for the team.”

Lyon moved back into the halves for part of Manly’s last-start loss to Cronulla before their round 12 bye, and the 34-year-old is expected to be named in the No.6 jersey for their clash against Canberra on Friday night.

The move would allow Walker to return to the centres where he won the 2014 premiership with South Sydney, when he was also selected for Australia in the same year.

Walker has set up on just one try and two linebreaks while playing at five-eighth this season.

Lyon has also won a premiership while playing at No.6 for Manly in 2008, while he claimed the English Super League’s Man of Steel award as a playmaker in 2005.

And now he’s confident not too much will have to change in his game in order for him to return to the position.

“We’ll just have to keep working on it,” said Lyon. “Hopefully we can build something that is a little bit more dangerous out there and better for the team.”

Lyon also backed the selection of Walker in the NSW State of Origin team.

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