Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
12
Match Complete
Penrith Panthers
24
| 63 |  | B. To'o | ||
| 53 |  | N. Cleary | ||
| 47 |  | N. Cleary | ||
| 45 | | S. Turuva | ||
| 38 | | N. Cleary | ||
| 37 | | S. Crichton | ||
| R. Garrick | | 27 | ||
| R. Garrick | | 25 | ||
| R. Garrick | | 20 | ||
| T. Sipley | | 18 | ||
| 8 | | N. Cleary | ||
| 7 | | S. Crichton |
| 2 | Tries | 4 | ||
| 2 | Conversions | 3 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 1 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
Round 24 of the NRL premiership kicks off tonight when the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles take on the Penrith Panthers at 4 Pines Park in Brookvale. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:50pm (AEST).
With 4 rounds remaining, finals football has come early for the Sea Eagles. A loss here would, in all likelihood, leave them 2 wins plus point differential away from the top 8. It would be mathematically possible, but extremely unlikely.
Manly will likely regret their 26-16 loss to the Roosters last round. The loss of Matt Lodge early caused problems for an already depleted forward pack. Once the Roosters got a roll on, the Sea Eagles had no answers.
Daly Cherry-Evans has undoubtedly had one of his best seasons. However, he can’t do it by himself. Josh Schuster is a fine player who can display touches of brilliance, but can also drift in and out of games. They need more from their number 6.
In team changes, Sean Keppie comes in for the injured Lodge. Ben Trbojevic will start with Kelma Tuilagi moving to the bench.
The Panthers dismantled the Storm 26-6 last round. We are still a fair way from finals, but Penrith would be at long odds to miss out on another grand final appearance.
The Panthers play the grind better than any other team in the competition. They kick for territory, attack in defence and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. It’s simple but highly effective.
Ivan Cleary has had to make late changes with Jarome Luai and Mitch Kenny ruled out.
Prediction
Manly’s late season forward injury dramas will hurt them tonight. The Sea Eagles will be playing for survival, but the Panthers should get control of the ruck. If they can do this, I can only see one result. Panthers by 12
Game information
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Brookvale
Kick-off: 7:50pm (AEST)
TV: Nine, Fox Sports
Streaming: Kayo Sports, Foxtel
Odds: Sea Eagles $5.75 Panthers $1.14 – odds via PlayUp
Sea Eagles: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Tolutau Koula 5. Ray Tuaimalo-Vaega 6. Josh Schuster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Sean Keppie 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Dean Matterson 15. Aaron Woods 16. Kelma Tuilagi 17. Ethan Bullemor 18. Jakob Arthur 19. Ben Condon 20. Kaeo Weekes 21. Morgan Harper 22. Gordon Chan Kum Tong
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Zac Hosking 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Soni Luke 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Matt Eisenhuth 17. Jaeman Salmon 18. Jack Cogger 19. Luke Garner 20. Jack Cole 21. Thomas Jenkins 22. Liam Henry 23 Luke Sommerton
The Barry
Roar Guru
Last time I was up there - at Easter - we walked over the headland from Avalon to Whale Beach. Had a body surf there and a few beers at the surf club and then back to the British pub in Avalon Glorious!
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
TB, Bilgola through to Palmie is a world beater. If we were'nt such a long flight away from the developed world, then only billionaires and the Russia Mafia would be dropping a towel on the beaches here.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
You know David - my customary shyness and reticence. I must forget to, because I don't usually let an an opportunity for self promotion to pass by unexploited!
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
TB it truly is God's country. I would defy anyone to find a better beach than any of those from Newport up to Palmie. And then there's Pittwater. It's only because the flight times from other countries to Sydney are so punishing that people other than billionaires and the Russian mafia can afford to live here at a stretch. May it remain so.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
Yeah Sorry, I probably over reacted. I still think Dessie would have had this team in the 8.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
OK. It just seemed odd you'd label the coach like that at the end of a game where his team played so courageously with a rare but successful approach, down on pack troops, against the behemoth of the competition.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
Referring more to Manly's season in general than this match. Seibold replaced Dessie on the basis that he could get more out of that team and yet here they are, well outside the 8 and unlikely to be playing finals footy. Manly are not a bad team and shouldn't be in the bottom half of the table. Not quite as bad as what happened to the Broncos, but there are signs That is my frustration.
mushi
Roar Guru
I'd say if the lifeblood of your club demands such behaviour then humanity would be enriched by removing it from society
Redcap
Roar Guru
No, I think I've got your measure. Sweet dreams.
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
You're either missing the context here or flat-out ignoring it.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Did you watch this game ? Considering who they had available, who was lost during it, no ref love or bounce of ball, how they decided to play it and the enthusiasm / buy in from the players with it, your take is Seibold is a dud ? Phuark..
Redcap
Roar Guru
But you yourself said it's a 'mere formality', in other words the bare minimum you'd expect of somebody in a leadership position. You're now conflating broader issues with your 'mere formality' to, what, argue that skipping the 'mere formality' makes some kind of powerful gesture and signifies strong commitment? That really doesn't make sense. I support a club who're even worse than Manly. The last thing I'm looking at to gauge the attitude of the players is Ben Hunt thanking the referee. It really is a mere formality; the bare minimum.
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
You've misconstrued my point. I wouldn't be clutching my pearls if a captain didn't shake a referee's hand after a game because it's a meaningless act in a professional sport. Ref is paid good money to be there, not like the guys in the sticks who give up a whole Sunday to ref three or four grades. You're acting as if it's this sacred ritual that can't possibly be skipped for any reason.
Redcap
Roar Guru
"Shaking the ref’s hand after a game is a mere formality it’s just ticking a box..." Hang on, a moment ago shaking the ref's hand was a sign of weakness, acquiescence and appeasement; of a leader who's 'given up.' Now it's a 'mere formality'. Righto then.
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
Shaking the ref's hand after a game is a mere formality it's just ticking a box. Please explain is pretty simple. Why does the NRL use refs who are so bad they can't see an obvious knock on? And why can the bunker go back multiple tackles to pick out a high tackle or a hip drop but can't go back one tackle to correct a blatantly incorrect decision that costs a team points?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Why do you need a please splain? Two players went up for a bomb, the refs view was obstructed and in the split second it happened he missed the knock on. Because there was a tackle there was no bunker intervention That’s it. There’s your explanation… you should be able to work it out for yourself But you don’t see the difference between asking the NRL for a please explain through the correct channels and the club captain refusing to shake the refs hand after the game…?
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
Its official, Seibold is a dud. Next year, Manly contenders for the spoon.
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
Would you have issues with Manly asking NRL HQ for a please explain on the decision? Or would that be 'spitting the dummy'?
Ian_
Roar Rookie
Mind you, Jurbo has a little snooze on the tackled player and could legitimately be 6-again'd just about every tackle he makes. Those little micro-sleeps must help him keep going
The Barry
Roar Guru
Sure, live and die by the results on the field (if that’s your thing – easy to say from the couch) but that doesn’t include bad sportsmanship off it