Roar Guru
The Sydney Roosters have compounded further misery into Manly’s disastrous season, recovering from a slow start to hold out for a 22-20 win at Allianz Stadium.
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Final score
Sydney Roosters 22
Manly Sea Eagles 20
Round 9 of the NRL season continues as the Sydney Roosters take on the Manly Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from 4:10pm (AEST).
Both these sides will be desperate for a win after last-start losses.
It seems a long time since Anzac Day but, to refresh your memory, the Roosters were well beaten by the Dragons by 24-8.
After the addition of a number of high-profile recruits over the offseason, the Roosters were expected to give the premiership a real shake in 2018. At four wins and four losses, it’s clearly not curtains yet, but they need to start winning more often.
It seems like a lot of attacking responsibility sits on the shoulders of Cooper Cronk, with Luke Keary and James Tedesco still learning how to play with their halfback. With no changes to their 17, maybe that learning will occur today.
Manly have lurched from one disaster to the next in 2018. Salary cap breaches, injuries, stories of player in-fighting, and now rumours that Trent Barrett may leave have all taken their toll, with four losses in a row after a solid start.
It doesn’t get any easier with Lachlan Croker out for the rest of the yera with an ACL injury. The performance of Dylan Walker at five-eighth will go a long way to deciding whether the Sea Eagles will be competitive.
Prediction
Recent history supports the Eagles, with Manly winning four of the last five clashes and the last two at Allianz. However, I can’t see history repeating here.
The Roosters will be itching to play, given their long break since Anzac Day, and they will be far too good.
Roosters by 20.