UNIVERSITY coach Sam Berry didn't know a thing about Murray Sutherland when the teenager lobbed at pre-season training.
Within in a couple of minutes, one of Berry's biggest problems was solved.
"There wasn't much of him, but he whipped the ball around," Berry said. "I thought, there is my No.9.
"We had been struggling a bit for a halfback. Max Murray, who played last year, races surf boats in summer and hadn't done any of the pre-season and was unavailable for the trials.
"Murray has been awesome. That is the advantage of Uni. We might struggle to attract top players from other clubs, but there are always two or three you don't know about who turn up and are exceptional."
A Manly junior representative, Sutherland played under-18s for Forest last year before moving to Newcastle to study architecture.
"I was just wanting to play footy," Sutherland said. "I didn't know the standard, I just wanted to play as high as I could. It has been great.
"I have always been smaller than everyone else and am used to it. We have a lot of older guys and I have been able to pick their brains."
Although boasting a strong pass, Sutherland's biggest strength is his running game. He has been a constant threat and nearly snatched a win at the death against premiers Hamilton in round three.
"He loves to run the ball," Berry said. "We have had to rein him in a little bit. Once the teams have watched a bit of film, the big fellas know he is coming and he has copped a bit. We want him to pick his moments."
Sutherland was rewarded for his early-season form with a place in the Hunter Colts (under-20s) before being upgraded to the senior side for the Country Championships. However, he was ruled out after fracturing a bone in his hand against Nelson Bay in round five.
"I made a run, got caught on the ground in a tackle and a teammate stood on it," Sutherland said. "The timing wasn't great."
Incredibly, the Students have played two games since Sutherland's injury. The most recent was a 52-27 loss to Merewether on June 2.
They were to meet Singleton at Rugby Park on Saturday. That game has been shifted to round 18 and Uni will host Hamilton at Uni No.3 Oval in a catch-up game.
The down time, though frustrating, has allowed Sutherland to form a partnership on the training pitch with mid-season arrival fly-half Dane Sherratt.
"We haven't played together yet but we are building a bit of chemistry," Sutherland said. "He is really smart and good at leading the boys around, which is a weakness of mine. I can concentrate on my own game and he can take control of that."
