The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Desperate times for Manly, desperate measures from Penrith

(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Roar Guru
11th June, 2016
3

The standalone Sunday game in Round 14 features two teams in desperate need of two points when the Manly Sea Eagles host the Penrith Panthers in their first Sunday afternoon game of 2016.

Both sides come into this clash languishing outside the top eight on the back of last-start losses, Manly fell to their fourth consecutive loss of the season, 30-18 to the Canberra Raiders while Penrith went down 24-6 to the Melbourne Storm.

Manly simply haven’t gelled as a unit with their new-look team under rookie coach Trent Barrett this season that on paper, with a fully-fit squad, should be contesting for the top four.

But the Sea Eagles, besieged by off-field match-fixing allegations and sponsorship issues, are also hampered by a casualty ward that continues to grow weekly – sound familiar, Panther fans?

It’s desperate times for Trent Barrett’s embattled side as Manly will again rely upon a makeshift halves pairing in Apisai Koroisau and Dylan Walker with Daly Cherry-Evans and Jamie Lyon both out.

Another home loss to Penrith will make things very difficult for Manly to make the finals given they’ve won just four from twelve so far in 2016, including just the one win at a ground traditionally dubbed as “The Fortress”.

While Manly sit in 14th place, the 10th-placed Panthers are not without their own problems, albeit their issues in 2016 stem more from the selection table rather than any misfortunes suffered on the playing field.

Having followed up last week’s axing of hooker James Segeyaro with that of chief playmaker Jamie Soward after their biggest loss of the season in Melbourne last Saturday, the remaining players are officially on notice to perform or miss out as coach Anthony Griffin looks for the answers that ensures his side avoids three consecutive losses.

Advertisement

Griffin’s decision is all the more incredible when considering Penrith’s one-time preferred spine are all available for selection but only two – Moylan and Wallace (albeit out of position in the hooking role) will play at Brookvale, a decision that will surely make or break Penrith’s inconsistent season.

But the Panthers coach has been stung into making such a decision given the Mountain Men have been unable to build winning momentum in 2016, in what is fast developing into a disappointing season to date unless the Panthers turn their competitive nature into the competition points required to play finals footy in September.

No doubt Griffin’s latest decision to drop Soward is a bold move especially when the new halves pairing consists of a one-game rookie in Nathan Cleary and a five-eighth who is more at home in the back-row in Bryce Cartwright.

Quite clearly Griffin’s revamped halves strategy focuses on creating expansive play as opposed to simply kicking the opposition into submission.

While Soward’s kicking game and experience can no doubt win games, Soward has paid the price for an inconsistent 2016.

When compared to opposing halves, there’s no doubt Soward’s attacking stats in 2016 are hardly flattering with just six try assists, four line-break assists, two line-breaks, ten tackle-breaks and eight off-loads to go with an average of just 23 metres from three runs per game.

His defensive deficiencies have been exposed out on Penrith’s leaky left edge, with Melbourne clinically targeting Soward in scoring two of their four tries in a season where the playmaker has missed 39 tackles.

Advertisement

Enter Nathan Cleary.

This time last year, the eighteen-year old son of the former Panthers NRL coach had just finished playing SG Ball and had yet to make his Holden Cup debut.

But in the space of two games, the leading points-scorer in the Holden Cup has in the matter of two games had the rare distinction of making back-to-back senior competition debuts for Penrith, with such progress only achieved in the past by the likes of Greg Alexander and Brad Fittler.

While Cleary may have enjoyed a stellar debut against the Bulldogs in the Intrust Super Premiership, it was a much tougher NRL debut against Melbourne as the Storm sent plenty of traffic towards the youngster (who made 36 tackles) and his new halves partner, stifling their ability to attack in the process, as the Panthers scored a season low six points.

Team news
Injuries continue to plague the Sea Eagles in 2016.

For the second time this year star half Daly Cherry-Evans is out medium-term with an ankle injury, and is joined on the side-lines by the man who has joined him at the scrumbase in recent weeks in skipper Jamie Lyon (hamstring, two weeks).

Manly also suffered the setback of losing prop Brenton Lawrence (pec) and Steve Matai (neck) for the remainder of the season, while star forward recruit Martin Taupau (suspension) is still unavailable.

Advertisement

In some rare good news for Trent Barrett, winger Jorge Taufua makes a long-awaited return from a collarbone injury, while Dylan Walker and Api Koroisau will rekindle a makeshift halves partnership.

Addin Fonua-Blake and Blake Leary complete the team changes, coming into the squad on the interchange.

Apart from Griffin announcing his seventh halves combination for 2016, 2015 Holden Cup player of the Year prop Moses Leota has been named to make his NRL debut from the bench after regular starting prop Sam McKendry suffered his second suspension (shoulder charge – two games) of 2016.

Sitaleki Akauola also returns to the top grade for the second time this season from the interchange bench.

Apart from sending plenty of traffic at Cleary and Cartwright, the Storm’s forward pack led by Jesse Bromwich, were able to roll through the middle of the park without much resistance from the Panthers.

Penrith’s middle men apart from Merrin (144m), failed to match the Storm’s forward punch with props Reagan Campbell-Gillard (54m), Sam McKendry (50m), Latu (48m), Jeremy Latimore (43m) and Matagi (29m) providing minimal impact.

Griffin will be hoping that the inclusion of Leota, who averages 119 metres per game in the Intrust Super Premiership will reinvigorate that go-forward that’s required to give the outside backs the space to create opportunities.

Advertisement

The key match-ups
Brett Stewart v Matt Moylan
Dylan Walker v Bryce Cartwright
Apisai Koroisau v Nathan Cleary

The key stats
History: Played 81; Sea Eagles 50 Panthers 30 drawn 1.

Overall Manly dominate Penrith head-to-head but in recent times it’s been the Panthers who have held the upper hand winning four of their last five encounters and three of their last six at Brookvale where they have otherwise won just 12 of 43 games played.

The Panthers won both fixtures in 2015 with a 22-12 win in Round 6 and an 11-10 victory in Round 10 and will be looking for their third win in a row over Manly for the first time since 2003 and in the process avoid losing a third game in a row for the first time under new coach Anthony Griffin.

Manly conversely have won just one win from five games played at Brookvale in 2016 and are hoping for a change in fortunes when they play their first Sunday afternoon game of the season looking to avoid five straight losses for the first time since Round 7, 2015.

Penrith’s away record isn’t much better having won two from six although they have won on the road when taking home games to Christchurch and Canberra earlier in the season.

Last meeting: Sea Eagles 10 Panthers 11 (Round 10 2015) – in fact just 11 of 34 players from both teams (7 – Penrith; 4 – Manly) return for this clash.

Advertisement

While Penrith will miss their Manly connection, Peta Hiku and Dean Whare both to season-ending injuries, there’s plenty of Penrith influence in this Manly side both on and off the field.

Koroisau and Lewis Brown have found themselves over at the northern beaches in 2016, while former Panthers juniors Matt Wright and Siosasa Vave will also relish the challenge, and former Panthers NRL assistant coach Trent Barrett and former club legend John Cartwright will be plotting Penrith’s downfall.

Under this week’s referees Grant Atkins and Gavin Reynolds both teams enjoy similarly good records.

Importantly though in 2016 the Panthers have won two lost one under Atkins while winning two from two under Reynolds, while Manly have won three games in games officiated by either referee.

In games between the pair officiated by either referee its one win a piece under Gavin Reynolds.

Despite Manly’s injury woes, the absence of Segeyaro and Soward means the Panthers will field their most inexperienced of the year to date with just 936 NRL games experience between them.

Stew’s view
This shapes as a must-win game for Penrith.

Advertisement

It’s been a case of close but no cigar for the Panthers in the first half of 2016. Practically every game of theirs was in the balance going into the final moments in the opening two months of the season, including narrow losses to big guns North Queensland, Cronulla and Canterbury, to go with a one-point win over Brisbane.

Matt Moylan and Josh Mansour have played their way into NSW Origin jerseys, Bryce Cartwright is starting to reach his potential and the Panthers lead the league for offloads.

And yet, the Mountain Men sit in 11th place.

They have the ability to make a charge for the finals but if it doesn’t start against Manly it’s looking like another underwhelming season at the foot of the mountains.

But its doubtful most would have envisaged at the start of the season that Penrith would nonetheless travel to Brookvale as strong favourites.

Sooner or later the one-time masters of playing that under-siege style of footy at “Fortress Brookie” will emerge as Manly sides until recent times rarely lose four games in a row, let alone face the prospect of going winless in five straight games.

But with that prospect being a real chance, many say that Penrith should win and win well but you know deep down Manly will offer stern resistance on their preferred Sunday afternoon timeslot at home.

Advertisement

This game as with many the Panthers have been involved in so far in 2016 will once again go down to the wire (i.e. the final ten minutes) ensuring some more anxious moments for its fans.

Despite the number of team changes for both sides, the game offers to be a high-scoring affair with 40-50 points in the offering.

I favour the Panthers to score a plethora of points late in the game and eventually prevail by a margin of eight-ten points and take two valuable competition points into next week’s bye.

close