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The Manly Sea Eagles have come out of their crucial Round 26 game with a thumping 16-point win over the Penrith Panthers to confirm their spot in the NRL finals.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Manly Sea Eagles 28
Penrith Panthers 12
The NRL finals have come a week early for the Manly Sea Eagles when they host the Penrith Panthers at Brookvale. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 5:30pm (AEST).
The Sea Eagles enter their final game of the regular season equal on points with the Panthers and Cowboys ahead of them, but their for and against has left them in eighth position.
A win will not only qualify them for the finals but give them a ‘home’ elimination match in Week 1. A loss, however, leaves them needing the Canterbury Bulldogs to beat the St George Illawarra Dragons, who sit in ninth, on Sunday afternoon at Homebush to qualify.
The Panthers, on the other hand could drop as far as eighth with a loss, meaning they would face Cronulla next week. If Penrith lose by at least 37 points, they could also miss the eight. It’s still possible for the Panthers to finish fifth as well if they won and the Sharks lost against Newcastle.
The equations at play mean there is plenty on the line, but the Sea Eagles have had high stakes games for the last few weeks and simply haven’t risen to the occasion.
They have looked flat and fatigued more often than not and it was only some late brilliance from Daly Cherry-Evans which got them out of trouble with a golden point win over the New Zealand Warriors last week.
Their defence had been lacking somewhat, with Trent Barrett’s men conceding 30 points against both the struggling Tigers and Bulldogs in the fortnight before last week.
As always, Cherry-Evans is the key man for the Sea Eagles, but he needs the forward pack to work to it’s potential. Curtis Sironen returning will be a boost for the club, but Frank Winterstein and Martin Taupau must pull their weight.
The Panthers, despite not being able to miss the eight have plenty to play for and won’t want to go into the finals on the back of two straight losses.
They fell to the desperate Dragons in Wollongong last week by two points, but before that were on a sensational winning run, which had catapulted them from the bottom four not so long ago. Despite all the wins, the Panthers never looked to be playing at their best, and it’s something they need to turn aorund if they want to make a dent in September.
The wins have constantly come against lower-ranked opposition, and while you can only play what’s in front of you, there’s a feeling the Panthers could have dominated a lot more.
In a blow to Penrith’s chances, young fullback Dylan Edwards will miss the game with Dean Whare to play, while Matt Moylan is still not confirmed for a return.
At Brookvale, Manly have won a staggering 29 of 41 games against Penrith.
Prediction
I’m still not convinced by either team, but I just don’t know that Manly can turn their form around. Desperation does funny things, but not enough here.
Panthers by 1.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this crucial Round 26 match from 5:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.