Round 18: Sea Eagles v Roosters preview
Two sides that aren't at the peaks of their powers do battle in a Sunday afternoon battle on the Northern Beaches of Sydney which could play a big part in the fortunes of the two sides for what is now looking like an outside chance at finals football.
Out of form, the Manly Sea Eagles are languishing down in 13th spot on the NRL ladder winning just 6 out of 14 matches this season. The road for the Sea Eagles has been rocky at best and their run to the finals got tougher without attacking lynchpin Tom Trbojevic who was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The game against the Roosters will prove to be a big litmus test against a side that whilst playing poorly themselves, has a number of big stars wanting to prove themselves.
Last weekend, the Sea Eagles had a strong start before being ground away falling to a 24-6 defeat to a clinical Melbourne Storm side at AAMI Park. The Sea Eagles started the game strongly opening the scoring after just 13 minutes but they couldn't maintain what was a strong performance in the first half into the second half as Melbourne showed they had too many weapons for Manly.
The Sea Eagles are boosted by the return of Jake Trbojevic from a calf injury along with Jason Saab, Brad Parker, Kelma Tuilagi and Ben Trbojevic all coming back into the squad from injury which gives Manly a much needed boost leading into a must win game against the Roosters on Sunday.
Things are not right in Bondi, it doesn't take a genius to work out that there are some deep-rooted issues at the Roosters as they sit down in 12th spot on the NRL ladder, just a solitary point ahead of the Sea Eagles. Langushing down the bottom in almost every statistical category, 2023 has been a dreadful year for the Roosters and despite dealing with an injury crisis and suspensions, key players have not stood up when needed and that has caused issues for the tricolours.
Last weekend, it was another poor performance and despite a flattering 20-18 scoreboard, the Roosters were completely outplayed by the Raiders for most of the contest and didn't look like a side that could throw a punch to match the better teams. The visitors opened up an early and secure lead that they kept for the majority of the game with only a late Lindsay Collins effort getting the Roosters within touch.
The Roosters are boosted somewhat by the returns of Joseph Sualii and Fletcher Baker from Suspension and injury respectively. This comes at a cost though for the Roosters with Angus Crichton and Egan Butcher are ruled out of the side with injury.
Last meeting: Round 20 2022 - Sea Eagles 10 Roosters 20
Who to watch: There was a big boom on the playmaking ability of Josh Schuster but those have quickly faded with his move to the halves being a huge bust for the Sea Eagles as he's been told that the club see his future in the back row come 2024. The key is going to be to see how Schuster develops his game this season either to show Manly that he is still a viable halves option or put himself in the window for another club that is interested.
As a representative captain, there is a certain level of leeway that is given to a player that hold the positions that James Tedesco does whether that's right or wrong. The leeway though starts to rub thin when players are not performing and for Tedesco he's performances can only be described as awful. His efforts across all levels have been poor and he has admitted that himself but the improvement hasn't come and a new issue is highlighted each week. Tedesco needs to stand up to show he is still the right player for both NSW and more importantly the Roosters.
Favourite: Manly have a slightly better backing at the time of writing.
My tip: Neither side inspires confidence, but Manly have a number of key performers backing up and I think it will be the boost that they need especially back at Brookvale. The Roosters have been out of form and I just want to see key players show a bit more before tipping them confidently. Manly by 10.
