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In a mouth-watering contest that pits first on the NRL ladder against second, the Melbourne Storm travel to Brookvale Oval to take on the Manly Sea Eagles. Join us from 7:30pm tonight for live scores and blog.
A replay of the 2007 and 2008 grand finals, Manly and Melbourne have been bitter rivals for a few seasons now.
There is little love lost between these two clubs, with Manly’s 40-0 spanking of the Storm in 2008 and Melbourne’s punishment of losing two titles because of salary cap rorting adding further fuel to the fire.
The individual match-ups in this game are one to relish.
Australian internationals Billy Slater and Brett Stewart are at fullback. Queensland representatives Cameron Smith and Matt Ballin are at hooker.
Up-and-coming internationals Kieron Foran and Gareth Widdop face off at five-eighth. And then you also have the likes of former New South Wales flyers Anthony Quinn and David Williams competing on the wings.
With two big forward packs and both clubs wanting to gain an advantage heading into the semi-finals, this game has all the ingredients of being a classic.
The Storm arrive in Sydney on a club-record streak of 12 consecutive wins. Devastating in both attack and defence, the Storm has so far, seen off all comers this season, and are rightly destined for the minor premiership.
Meanwhile, Manly are undefeated at home this season and will be confident of extending that run in front of the Brookvale faithful. They sit four points below the Storm on the table and will no doubt be keen to employ the kind of rib-shattering physicality that has been evident in their play all season.
Match-winners in both sides are evident right across the park, but Melbourne might receive a surprise boost at the last minute.
Today’s press is reporting that star Storm halfback, Cooper Cronk is set to make a shock return from injury for this game. That would be great news for the Storm, and set up another fascinating match-up with the Test and Queensland international Cooper up against rising young gun Daly Chery-Evans, also a fellow Queenslander.
While there will undoubtedly be fireworks on the pitch, there might also be some off it with David Gallop attending the game at Brookvale.
The NRL CEO is not Mr Popular with either club, so it will be interesting to see what reception he receives on the northern beaches.
The Sea Eagles come into this match following two lacklustre wins against the Bulldogs and Parramatta. They know they will have to lift if they have to have a chance against the high-flying Storm who seem hell-bent on creating history.
Key Stats:
– Brett Stewart has a phenomenal try-scoring record at Brookvale Oval and will be a huge chance of picking up a four-pointer.
– Manly will receive a boost with the return from injury of forward of Jamie Buhrer, though star back William Hopoate is still unavailable.
– The Storm opened the 2011 season against Manly at home and defeated the scratchy Sea Eagles 18-6.
– Melbourne have won 11 of the 20 encounters against Manly, but have won just six times in the nine games played at Brookvale Oval.
Last time they met: Round 1, 2011: Storm 18 – Manly 6
SEA EAGLES:
Brett Stewart, Michael Robertson, Jamie Lyon (capt), Steve Matai, David Williams, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, George Rose, Matt Ballin, Brent Kite, Anthony Watmough, Joe Galuvao, Glenn Stewart.
Interchange: Darcy Lussick, Jamie Buhrer, Shane Rodney, Tony Williams, Tim Robinson (one to be omitted).
STORM:
Billy Slater, Matt Duffie, Dane Nielsen, Beau Champion, Anthony Quinn, Rory Kostjasyn, Gareth Widdop, Bryan Norrie, Cameron Smith (capt), Jesse Bromwich, Adam Blair, Sika Manu, Kevin Proctor.
Interchange: Ryan Hinchcliffe, Sisa Waqa, Todd Lowrie, Jaiman Lowe.
Manly Sea Eagles v Melbourne Storm at Brookvale Oval 7.35pm
Head to Head: Sea Eagles 9 Storm 11
Last clash: Round 1 2011 – Storm 18 bt Sea Eagles 6 at AAMI Park
Betting: Manly $1.65, Storm $2.25 (TAB Sportsbet)
TV: Channel Nine, 7.30pm AEST (NSW/QLD, live)
[livescoring id=”dom-NRL20112502″]
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