Campbelltown Sports Stadium
Monday, 7pm
Wests Tigers $4.50 vs Manly Sea Eagles $1.60 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match
Wests Tigers $4.60 vs Manly Sea Eagles $1.21 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match
Odds Comparison by NRL Odds:
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| Wests Tigers | 4.50 | 5.00 | 4.60 | 5.00 | 4.50 | 4.50 |
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Manly Sea Eagles
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1.20 | 1.18 | 1.21 | 1.18 | 1.20 | 1.21 |
Preview:
A tumultuous week for the Tigers concluded last Friday night with a loss to New Zealand 24 – 14.
It was the second loss in a row for the Tigers who languish at the bottom of the competition ladder in fourteenth spot and, for the remainder of the year, will be playing for pride only.
Manly on the other hand have their sights firmly fixed on a top four spot and, with the Knights facing the Roosters, a win here will virtually guarantee the top four at the end of the season will be those currently filling the top spots now.
Manly registered their third big victory in as many weeks when accounting for the Gold Coast 38 – 20 last week. It was also the third week in a row the Sea Eagles had posted in excess of 34 points.
Manly posted a big win last time these two sides met back in Round 4 as well, winning 26 – 0 at Brookvale.
The Sea Eagles have named what could possibly be, their strongest side of the year to date for this clash and would expect them to be way to good for the Tigers.
Teams:
Wests Tigers:
1 James Tedesco
2 David Nofoaluma
3 Blake Ayshford
4 Chris Lawrence
5 Tim Simona
6 Benji Marshall
7 Curtis Sironen
8 Jack Buchanan
9 Robbie Farah (c)
10 Adam Blair
11 Liam Fulton
12 Bodene Thompson
13 Sauaso Sue
Interchange
14 Ava Seumanufagai
15 Shaun Spence
16 Ben Murdoch-Masila
17 Braith Anasta
Coach: Michael Potter
Manly Sea Eagles:
1 Brett Stewart
2 Jorge Taufua
3 Jamie Lyon (c)
4 Steve Matai
5 David Williams
6 Kieran Foran
7 Daly Cherry-Evans
8 Brenton Lawrence
9 Matt Ballin
10 Brent Kite
11 Anthony Watmough
12 Justin Horo
13 Glenn Stewart
Interchange
14 Richie Fa’aoso
15 Jamie Buhrer
16 James Hasson
17 George Rose
21 David Gower
Coach: Geoff Toovey
Ayshford slams Benji’s critics
Departing Wests Tigers star Blake Ayshford has slammed Benji Marshall’s critics and shed a tear of his own about leaving Leichhardt.
All the attention leading up to the Tigers’ 24-14 loss to the Warriors on Friday night was on Marshall after the superstar playmaker was granted permission to leave the NRL club at season’s end.
But Ayshford too is on the move and the Cronulla-bound centre admits he was overcome with emotion after bidding farewell to the Tigers’ spiritual home.
“It didn’t really hit me that it was my last game (at Leichhardt) until I was walking around the field with my little baby boy and a couple of tears rolled down my face,” Ayshford told AAP.
“It was pretty emotional. I didn’t think it would hit me like that, but I’ve been playing here since I was 17.
“I’ve played Jersey Flegg, under-20s and Premier League out on that field in front of 300 and I’ve had some big games in front of 20,000.
“So it hit me pretty hard.”
While Marshall has been at odds with the Tigers for months, Ayshford said he was leaving the club on good terms.
“They granted me the release. It’s been a mutual thing – there’s been no arguing,” the 25-year-old said.
“I just think I’ve been playing some bad football the past two years and I just thought the change of scenery might help my football.”
Ayshford admitted after the highs of making the grand final qualifier in 2010 and qualifying final in 2011, the lows of the past two seasons had been despairing.
“We need to win every game to make the eight or be a chance of making the eight, so it’s been a real disappointing year, especially with the talent we’ve got here,” he said.
“We know we can deliver a lot better.”
He said the flak flying Marshall’s way had also hurt the Tigers.
“A lot of us have been frustrated this week about how a lot of people have treated him,” Ayshford said.
“Saying he’s money hungry and all that, that’s not the truth. All the boys in here know the truth and what he’s done for this club over the last five or six years.
“I wish I could go on all those talk shows and express how much he’s done for me and my football career and how much he’s done for the fans and this club.
“You know, it hurts seeing that and we’ve stuck tight through that and we’re going to stick tight through the next six weeks to make the semis.”
In a sign of the fight left in the Tigers, who are still to face top-four sides South Sydney, the Sydney Roosters and Manly, Ayshford said he hoped to have a big decision to make during the finals series.
“We’re expecting a baby girl in grand final week,” he said.
“So it’s going to be a tough decision on whether I play the grand final or go to the birth.”