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The Canberra Raiders will be desperate to get back to their best and stay in touch with the top eight when they take on the in-form, but under siege, Manly Sea Eagles in the nation’s capital. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 6pm (AEST).
It’s been an inconsistent season for the Raiders, but when they hit the top of their stride, they have proven hard to beat.
After a shocking start to the season, they won three of four to raise the hopes of fans, but have now lost two straight again, looking like a Raiders team of old.
They were far from poor last week in Mudgee against the St George Illawarra Dragons, but shot themselves in the foot with handling errors and poor execution, as well as some lazy defence at times.
Defence is what Ricky Stuart’s side built their mini run of form on, shutting good teams down and limiting points against them. It’s certainly not the way Canberra have played in seasons gone by, but what they must do this year if they are to get to the top of the competition, allowing their attack to flow on the back of it.
Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin had been finding some form, but game management issues under pressure has popped up in recent weeks, particularly in a home loss to the Sharks a fortnight ago.
The Sea Eagles, on the other hand, have been under siege this season. Their form had fallen off a cliff with multiple injuries, salary cap dramas and the Jackson Hastings drama surrounding the club, but they have hit back in the last fortnight.
A pair of unexpected wins, firstly over the Brisbane Broncos and then over the Melbourne Storm – both away from home – have made the rugby league public sit up and take notice.
Their forwards have allowed Trent Barrett’s side to dominate, with the likes of Martin Taupau, Addin Fonua-Blake and Jake Trbojevic all playing superb footy and Daly Cherry-Evans directing traffic on the back of it.
While their form has been good, there is the thought process that injuries – as well as having to be at their absolute best every week – will eventually catch up with them.
The wins in the last fortnight have kept their chances of playing in September alive though, leaving Manly with a 4-7 record. They are out of the top eight though and like the Raiders, they will be desperate in this contest.
Prediction
This is a really tough game to tip. Manly have been up for a couple of weeks in a row against the odds and might find the trip to Canberra tough against a Raiders team who must win to stay in touch with the top eight.
Raiders by 2.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the match from 6pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.