Manly Sea Eagles vs Canberra Raiders highlights: Raiders by 14

Roar Guru

27th August, 2016

3421 Reads

Time: 3pm (AEST)
Venue: Brookvale Oval
Last meeting: Raiders 30-18 Sea Eagles
History: Sea Eagles 13, Raiders 11 (since '98)
TV: Live Fox Sports
Betting: Manly Sea Eagles $2.60, Canberra Raiders $1.52

Manly Sea Eagles
1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Jorge Taufua, 3. Lewis Brown, 4. Dylan Walker, 5. Brayden Wiliame, 6. Matthew Wright, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Apisai Koroisau, 10. Nate Myles (c), 11. Martin Taupau, 12. Jamie Buhrer, 13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14. Matt Parcell, 15. Josh Starling, 16. Frank Winterstein, 17. Siosaia Vave, 18. Blake Leary

Canberra Raiders
1. Jack Wighton, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joseph Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Paul Vaughan, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Iosia Soliola
Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Clay Priest, 17. Joseph Tapine, 18. Brenko Lee, 19. Shaun Fensom

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The Raiders head to Brookvale, looking to lock in a top-two finish against the struggling Sea Eagles. (Digital Image by Robb Cox ©nrlphotos.com)

Alan

Roar Guru

27th August, 2016

3421 Reads

Match result:

The Canberra Raiders took a 14-point win over the Manly Sea Eagles in a high-scoring affair on Saturday afternoon.

» Click here to read the full match report

Final score
Sea Eagles 30
Raiders 44

Match preview:

The Canberra Raiders are looking to secure a home final when they clash against the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 3pm (AEST).

Momentum is certainly on Canberra’s side at the moment, and a win today will keep the Raiders in the running for a top-two finish – something deemed almost impossible several weeks ago.

Cronulla’s inability to win a match over the past month has provided the Raiders with a terrific opportunity to finish the season on a high. However, the loss of Blake Austin to a potential season-ending injury is a cruel blow to the Green Machine’s premiership hopes.

While they are still a formidable unit without the former Wests Tiger, the Raiders are now missing an x-factor player who usually proves to be the difference between winning and losing in big matches.

Austin’s absence though should not stop them from winning today, even away from home. Manly hit form several weeks back but key defeats to Parramatta and Canterbury in recent rounds killed off their finals aspirations.

Throw in a heavy defeat to Melbourne last week and today’s contest for the Sea Eagles revolves around restoring some pride in a season that never really took off.

With that said, the Raiders must keep tabs on emerging superstar Tom Trbojevic. The young fullback has been one of the few bright spots for Manly this season, and he will cause problems if given space to roam, particularly on the edges.

It will also be interesting to see how Sam Williams performs for the Raiders in Austin’s absence. Williams must hit the ground running and form a strong partnership with Aiden Sezer – a combination that could be used all the way through September.

Prediction
The Raiders should win this afternoon, but Austin’s absence should keep the score respectable for Manly.

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Alan

Roar Guru

Alan is one of The Roar's longest serving live bloggers, covering football, tennis and rugby league.