Taylan May has come to the defence of young teammate Heamasi Makasini after the teenage sensation found himself in the crosshairs of critics over the past few days.
After a tremendous start to the season, which has seen him play in the centres or on the wing, Makasini had a forgettable performance last weekend against the Brisbane Broncos.
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Although he had strong carries and numbers earlier in the match, he came up with four costly errors at the backend of the contest, which eventually saw their opponents win by one point via a field goal from Adam Reynolds.
As a result, critics were quick to target him.
However, teammate Taylay May has fired back at those same critics and backed him to deliver once he is given another opportunity – he is injured for Thursday’s match against the Raiders.
“He’s young and obviously there’s a lot of pressure on him but people got to remember he’s only 18. He’s still got a lot to learn and all of us do,” May said in defence of his teammate.
“We’re all getting around him and if needs a talk, I’m always there for him.
“I feel like there has been pressure on him since he was young.
“I heard about his name when he was young so I feel like there’s always been pressure on him to perform and it’s not easy but at the end of the day, pressure creates diamonds.
“I’m sure he’s going to be a diamond. It’s only going to make him better. He’s 18 and there’s still a lot to learn.”
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Once a highly-touted centre when he came through the ranks at the Penrith Panthers, May dealt with the same critics and criticism when he struggled at time during the start of his playing career.
“I think people don’t realise how hard it is to be an 18-year-old and come into this environment. His body’s still got a lot in order,” May added.
“I was pretty young when I was playing too but I didn’t have the hype around my name like him…there wasn’t much pressure as he cops.”
Although Makasini is currently in a moon boot and is dealing with a bit of bone bruising, there had been speculation that the centre may have been given a week off to get away from the spotlight of playing in the NRL.
“He’s got a bit of bone bruising in his foot, so he wouldn’t have been available this week anyway,” coach Benji Marshall added on Wednesday.
“But it was probably timely because I think he was ready for a rest. But one thing I will say about Heamasi is he’s such a bright talent and he’s got a great future ahead of him, and he’ll just get some confidence back and come back into the team.
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“I want to praise him actually, for how awesome he’s been to start the season. Eighteen years old, coming in and playing centre, which is probably the hardest position to defend on the field, he did a great job.
“But part of my job as a coach is also to know when to take the pressure off him. I just felt like he’s been up for so long with his intent and his enthusiasm, and players have been actually going after him, that it was a timely rest.
“And he does have a little niggly injury on his foot as well.”
Just like Makasini and May, Benji Marshall knows what it’s like to deal with critics at a young age having burst through the scenes as a talented five-eighth from Keebra Park.
“One of the bonuses of being in that position is I can explain to the players what that’s like and how to navigate through that,” Marshall continued.
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“But in Heamasi’s situation, he is a unique talent and someone we see as a long-term future for us. He’s having a bit of confidence issues at the moment, but he’ll bounce back.
“I think it’s just a good reminder for a lot of people out there that sometimes we go off early on young blokes and we compare them unfairly to some of the greatest athletes that ever played, and it puts a lot of pressure on some of these kids.
“The pressure is already big enough playing in this environment in the NRL. Like I said, part of my job is to make sure I do the right thing by our players, and Heamasi is no different.
“I love what he brings to our team, I love his enthusiasm, I love the way he plays, but he’ll earn his way back into the team at some stage.”