A backs-to-the-wall Manly would have been a good bet to get their season back on track against Canberra at Fortress Brookvale in round five of the NRL.
Instead the Sea Eagles are banking on a good old fashioned road trip to Albury to right their ailing ship.
New Manly boss Joe Kelly moved the game to Lavington Sports Ground earlier this year in a bid to give regional Australia some much needed top level football.
Ironically it is highly unlikely Manly would have been able to host Ricky Stuart’s Raiders at Brookvale Oval this weekend, given the poor start of the field in their loss to Canterbury two weeks ago.
The field is understood to still be under repair, much like Manly’s start to the 2015 NRL season, losses to Parramatta, the Bulldogs and St George Illawarra matched only by a win, at Brookvale, over Melbourne.
The different occasion has given the under-siege Sea Eagles a fresh outlook, according to star halfback Daly Cherry-Evans.
“I am looking forward to going to Albury, unfortunately it is a home game of ours that we have sacrificed, but with that being said there is a lot more involved in travelling down to Albury,” he said.
“We have consecutive losses we want to turn around and I think there is no better way to do that than with a big road trip down south.
“It is a blessing in disguise we are not there at the moment, just the way the field is, it is a big concern for player safety.
“There is a good atmosphere that Brookvale brings but with the injury concerns over the field, it is best that we take this game elsewhere”.
Also of concern to Manly is the club’s mounting injury toll which has Brenton Lawrence (back), Feleti Mateo (ankle), Josh Starling (knee) Jorge Taufua (knee), Clinton Gutherson (knee), Tony Satini (shoulder) and Blake Leary (back) all sidelined for Saturday night’s match against Canberra in Albury.
Skipper Jamie Lyon (groin), Steve Matai (shoulder) and Willie Mason (virus) are also in doubt.
“Obviously we have massive injury concerns,” Cherry-Evans said.
“But I’m sure the players that do take the field will do their best to get us the win.
“We need to make that happen, each of us, not wait for someone else to do it for us.”