Roar Guru
It was a strong start for Manly, but South Sydney quickly took control of the game to get their first win of 2017.
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Final score
Manly Sea Eagles 18
South Sydney Rabbitohs 38
Both the Manly Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs will be searching for their first win of the 2017 season when they face off at Lottoland. Join The Roar from 5:30pm for live scores and commentary.
The Sea Eagles are coming off an eight-point loss to the Parramatta Eels, in a game where an abundance of simple errors cost them the game.
Manly absorbed a lot of pressure near their own goal-line, and will feel that they would have got the win were it not for silly errors.
If they can stay tight in defence and hold on to the ball, they should have a much easier time.
However, the Sea Eagles will face South Sydney with a much weaker squad, as props Marty Taupau and Addin Founa-Blake copped bans for shoulder charges.
The Rabbitohs are having troubles of their own, going down 34-18 to the Wests Tigers in their last match.
Skipper Greg Inglis is out with an ACL injury, causing a restructure in the backline that sees Alex Johnson go into the fullback position.
Despite a rough night, the Rabbitohs had some positives to draw on, with Cody Walker and Robbie Farah putting in workhorse performances.
The good news for both sides is that neither side is coming in full strength. This one will come down to which side can expose the other’s weaknesses. Expect it to be close, no matter which way it goes.
Prediction: Manly by 4