MARC SNEYD is working harder than ever to improve his game at 35, according to Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess.
The veteran halfback has more than 350 career appearances to his name and joined Warrington last March from Salford Red Devils.
He’s known as the man for the big occasion and won the Lance Todd Trophy for a third time in the Wolves’ Challenge Cup Final loss to Hull KR, equalling Sean Long’s record.
Sneyd’s calm temperament has been key to Warrington starting the Super League season with hard-fought home wins over St Helens and Wakefield Trinity, with him named man of the match in the latter.
It remains to be seen how long the former England man carries on playing, with his contract expiring at the end of this year.
But Burgess says the challenge he laid down to Sneyd at the beginning of pre-season has been taken up with enthusiasm.
“Whether he’s got one year, two or three left, he needed to give his best self over pre-season, and he has done,” said Burgess.
“He’s been great. He’s not missed a beat. He’s probably lifted more weights than he’s ever done before and done more wrestle sessions than he’s used to.
“We’re seeing in his performances that he’s definitely improving.
“More than anything I think his defence has been really strong for us. It’s something I challenged him on over the off-season.
“I dare say he’s trained harder than he has done in the past few years, and I think we’re seeing a bit of that in his defensive performance. He’s really getting himself into good positions and making good plays.
“We all know what he can do with the ball, on his foot and with his hands, and he’s valuable to the group.”