The Sea Eagles left it to the last three minutes of their game against the Cowboys last week to snatch victory 26 – 21.
Where and when: Sunday, Apr 27, Brookvale Oval, FOX, 2:00pm
It was the Sea Eagles’ fifth win of the season and their fourth by 8 points or less.
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For the fourth time this season, Sea Eagle centre Steve Matai opened up the scoring with a typically strong left-hand side move in the 5th minute however, the remainder of the first stanza was dominated by the Cowboys who registered three unanswered tries to lead 14 – 6 at the break.
Sea Eagles were without halfback Daley Cherry-Evans and missed the spark he provides in attack during the first half. Cherry-Evans returns this week however, his halves partner Kieran Foran will be missing with a knee injury that will keep him out of the side for up to a month.
Foran’s spot will be taken by Captain Jamie Lyon.
Also battling injury and in doubt for the match are Sea Eagles forwards Anthony Watmough and Jason King.
Canberra will field the same side that was successful against the Storm last week 24 – 22.
The Raiders were playing from behind for the entire match but toughed it out well to sill be within striking distance in the final minutes of the game.
A try to Paul Vaughan in the final minutes, who beat several poor attempts from Storm defenders, saw the Raiders hit the front when it matter the most.
It was a much needed win for the Raiders, only their third for the season and their first at home in six matches however, they need to back that effort up with another this week.
Inconsistency has been the Raiders Achilles heel over the past few season with the last time they registered successive victories, coming in round 19 and 20 of last season.
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Improving that record will be a tough task at Brookvale, where Manly have won 2 from 3 so far this year with the defeat coming in Golden Point time against Melbourne.
Adding to their challenge will be the fact that in the twelve matches between the two clubs since 2005, the Raiders have only won two. The most recent victory coming in 2010.
Although not at full strength, the Sea Eagles at home will be a tough nut to crack, especially for an inconsistent Raiders outfit who will need to be at the top of their game.
Manly 1 – 12 with Steve Matai and David Williams as the first try-scorers for Manly.
Odds Comparison:
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| Manly Sea Eagles | 1.40 | 1.45 | 1.44 | 1.45 | 1.40 | 1.42 |
| Canberra Raiders | 3.07 | 2.85 | 2.85 | 2.85 | 3.07 | 2.95 |
All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.
Teams:
Manly Sea Eagles:
Brett Stewart, Jorge Taufua, Peta Hiku, Steve Matai, David Williams, Jamie Lyon, Daly Cherry-Evans, Josh Starling, Matt Ballin, Brenton Lawrence, Anthony Watmough, Justin Horo, Glenn Stewart. Interchange: James Hasson, Dunamis Lui, Jamie Buhrer, Jason King, Jesse Sene-Lefao
Ins: Jason King, Daly Cherry-Evans
Outs: Kieran Foran (knee, round 12)
Other unavailables: None
Canberra Raiders:
Anthony Milford, Reece Robinson, Jarrod Croker, Matthew Allwood, Bill Tupou, Jack Wighton, Terry Campese, David Shillington, Glen Buttriss, Brett White, Josh Papalii, Joel Edwards, Shaun Fensom. Interchange: Josh McCrone, Paul Vaughan, Dane Tilse, Shannon Boyd, Jake Foster
Ins: Jake Foster
Outs: None
Other unavailables: Edrick Lee (foot, indefinite), Sam Mataora (ribs, round 10), Jeff Lynch (knee, season)
