A fantastic game to kick of Round 23 of the NRL with South Sydney looking to make it seven wins in a row and temporarily at least; join the Bulldogs at the top of the competition whilst Manly sit in fourth and will need the win to keep themselves within the coveted top four.
The teams last met in Round 11 last year with victory to Manly 36-22, the win making it four from the last seven against the Bunnies.
All bar one of these games have resulted in a total match score of greater than 50 points, so expect another high scoring game again Friday.
The Bunnies are coming off a hard fought victory over the Titans on the Gold Coast last week and will welcome back Hooker Isaac Luke from suspension and Roy Asotasi from injury – both start from the bench and will give South Sydney plenty of impact when they are thrown into the game.
Manly have had to dig deep the past two weeks to record narrow victories over the Cowboys (8-6) and the Warriors (24-22). Centre Steve Matai didn’t complete the game last week due to a leg injury and, despite being named in the starting line-up his position in the team will not be confirmed by Manly until Friday at the earliest.
The powerful centre has averaged 120m over the past three weeks and his uncompromising defence, will be a blow for Manly should he not be able to take the field.
Sportsbet Head to Head – South Sydney $1.85, Manly $1.95.
As the market suggests, there will be little between the two teams at the end of the 80 minutes but sticking with the Bunnies to continue on their winning way.
